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Joy in the Desert Place

Glory at the Foot of the Rocks, Ryan Ranch, Joshua Tree, California

Throughout the Old Testament the desert thrives as a Biblical motif.  In the desert people groups were taught mighty lessons. From those mighty lessons, there was abundance, multiplication, promise, and growth.

In Genesis, Abraham's legacy and his family were established through sojourning for a new land.  Along the journey the Lord promised him a nation that would be greater than the numbers of stars in the sky and the number of grains of sands on the earth.

In Exodus, the Israelites sought for the promised land, a place filled with milk and honey.  As they faithfully traveled for hundreds of years, they developed as a sojourning nation.  Some developments were within their culture, simplicity of life, and worship and reverence for the Lord.

In Psalms, King David and his writers extolled the liveliness and abundance of the desert.  There King David's faithfulness is grown. The desert place was where King David found his hiding place and refuge in the Lord as he escaped his enemies.   He describes the fields, the hills, the valleys, the caves, and the shadows of the mountains as places of refuge and hiding in the Lord.

Once more, the Old Testament writers tell of the abundance of the desert through the major and minor prophets.  These prophets would traveled between city gates, and that happened to be where the Lord brought His messages in dreams and visions.

These are some examples of sacred moments, solitude, and refuge for the soul.  Perhaps this desert place may indicate a direct connection between the needs of human spirituality and the soul.

Sun Drenched Cactus, Joshua Tree, California

As an urbanized society, the desert is often seen as dry, desolate, and barren. For many of us, the first thought is "It is so freakin' HOT! I can't live here; there isn't anything much to do."  Isn't it often that the thought is "I can visit, but I wouldn't survive here in the desert."  Perhaps the Lord purposefully juxtaposes scripture to challenge our urbanized culture.  He has created a need to escape, to find joy , and restoration in the desert place.

Native American history and storytelling describe the connection between land and their humanity.  The stories describe their reliance and need for desert place.  Most of these Native American tribes resourced, quenched, danced, and praised the land for it's abundance.  In similar ways, many Southeast Asian people groups did the same.

Retreats into the desert restore our soul into stillness, quietness, simplicity, and solitude.  There a renewed focus comes from the great expanse, breath, stillness of nature, animals, and the plants that grow.  Our astonishment comes in how creation can survive in such harsh conditions.  By sitting still an epiphany dawns on how alive such a still place can be. It is thought provoking how green brush, plants, and blossoms can grow in between and high above the ground on large boulders/rocks, dry soil, and dirt.  How does water and life thrive with longevity and sustainability in the deserts ecosystems?

In the New Testament Jesus then brings us to the parable of The Seeds.  Which type of soil (spirituality) does the seed (the soul) grow upon?  The meaning of the parable does not imply that in the desert that soul cannot thrive.  Clearly, by the physical make up of creation's story there may be a need to reconsider faulty impressions and thinking of the desert place.  Our human condition is after all fairly based on our urban context and cultural norms.

Perhaps there isa need to consider those the Biblical characters and groups that sojourned and thrived in the desert place.  How often do disciples of Christ feel abandoned, alone, dry, confused, or lost in their spiritual journey?  And still the Lord allows growth, refinement, breath, and spiritual development.

The Lord makes beautiful things, and He is the author/designer of all creation.  The Lord saves us from our desolation.

Perhaps this is a prayer worth uplifting to the Lord,  praising Him for that link between spirituality, the soul, and the desert place.  If anything for a perspective and imposition of the abundance of nature, the quietness, the refreshment, and the growth that we can experience in the driest of places.  

Pretty in Pink, Joshua Tree, California

Joy of the Redeemed
Isaiah 35:1-4 (NIV)

The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.

Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you.”

Proverbs 3:5 , Joshua Tree, California

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