Craig Clouston

Out Of The Wilderness

He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

John 10:3

Jake's nerves were on edge as he surveyed his surroundings. This was his first out-of-state deer hunt, and he lacked confidence. He’d been assigned this section of woods at camp headquarters before being dropped off by his guide for the morning’s hunt. It was miles from civilization; the closest hunter was approximately two miles away.

Jake wasn’t afraid of getting shot. He’d met and felt he could trust everyone in the hunting camp; they were all seasoned hunters. Besides, they were far enough apart as to be out of shooting-range of each other.

What was slightly unnerving to Jake was being on his own in the wilderness. He would have to make decisions based on his limited knowledge of the area. He freely admitted his lack of ‘mountain woodsmanship’ and sought to remember everything he’d been told and tested on prior to being dropped off; survival skills were at the top of the list. Jake didn’t want to make a potentially dangerous mistake, because the deep-seeded reason for his concern was that he wasn’t sure he could find his way out if they never came back for him!

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All of us—without exception, and from time to time—will find ourselves in a spiritual wilderness where one patch of woods looks like every other, and nothing appears familiar. If we’re not careful we could make things worse by heading off on our own…in the wrong direction.

Regardless of whether God orchestrated our circumstances to get us alone, or we’ve done something to cause this unwelcome isolation by not having thought our actions through to their logical conclusion, we’re unable to affect our own rescue.

Jesus knows how to lead us out of our wilderness. His Word says we know the sound of His Voice. But in order to hear Him we must quiet ourselves, and allow Jesus to speak through the worries of our day. Take heart! Because unlike Jake, we never have to worry about whether Jesus is coming back for us.

Prayer

“When I find myself in the wilderness, Lord, help me quiet my mind so I might sense Your presence. Speak to me in ways I will understand, and lead me out of this spiritual desert. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”