THE WILDERNESS IS NOT PUNISHMENT Part 2
- Jan 26
- 6 min read
Ekklesia, God uses seasons of transition and disorientation not to punish us, but to prepare us for the promises He has already spoken over our lives.
"Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands." — Deuteronomy 8:2 (NLT)
Psalm 106:24–25 (NLT) — "The people refused to enter the pleasant land, for they wouldn't believe his promise to care for them. Instead, they grumbled in their tents and refused to obey the Lord."
Hosea 2:14 (NLT) — "But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there."
Exodus 16:4 (NLT) — "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Look, I'm going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.'"
WHAT IT MEANT THEN...
When Moses reminds Israel about their forty-year wilderness journey in Deuteronomy 8, he's not romanticizing their suffering—he's reframing their perspective. The Hebrew word for "led" here is nahal, which means "to guide gently, like a shepherd." God wasn't dragging them through the desert as punishment; He was guiding them through a divine curriculum.
The wilderness wasn't Plan B. It was always part of the process.
Israel had just been delivered from 400 years of Egyptian slavery. They had brick-making skills, survival instincts, and a slave mentality. But God was taking them to Canaan—a land that required warfare, governance, stewardship, and covenant faithfulness. Egypt taught them how to survive under oppression. The wilderness taught them how to thrive under God's provision.
The word "humbling" (anah in Hebrew) doesn't mean humiliation—it means to be made low enough to receive instruction. God was breaking down their self-sufficiency so He could build up their God-dependency.
And the word "testing" (nasah) wasn't about catching them in failure—it was about revealing what was actually in their hearts. Would they trust Him when the path didn't make sense? Would they obey Him when comfort was scarce?
The wilderness exposed who they really were—so God could transform them into who they were called to be.
WHAT IT MEANS NOW...
Ekklesia, let me speak plainly: the wilderness is not punishment—it's preparation.
You may be in a season right now where nothing feels stable. The old structures are crumbling. The new ones aren't fully built yet. You're in between what was and what's coming, and honestly? It feels disorienting. It feels uncomfortable. It feels like you took a wrong turn somewhere.
But what if you didn't?
What if this wilderness moment—this transition, this waiting, this stripping away of the familiar—is exactly where God intended to meet you?
See, here's the truth we need to hear in 2026: God uses the in-between to strip away what Egypt taught you and rebuild what Canaan requires.
Egypt taught you survival mode. Hustle harder. Prove your worth. Perform to earn favor. Keep your head down and grind it out.
But Canaan—the promise—requires something entirely different. It requires trust. Obedience. Surrender. Intimacy with God. The ability to walk by faith when logic says turn back.
And you can't learn that in comfort. You can't learn that in Egypt. You can't even learn that in Canaan.
You learn it in the wilderness.
Israel despised the wilderness. They grumbled. They complained. They romanticized Egypt and called it "the good old days" (Numbers 11:5). They rejected the manna God sent and demanded the menu they used to have. And because they despised the process, they missed the lesson. An entire generation died in the desert—not because God was cruel, but because they refused to be formed.
Don't repeat their mistake.
The wilderness isn't where God abandons you. It's where He refines you. It's where He teaches you that His presence is better than your plan. It's where you learn that obedience matters more than outcomes. It's where your faith gets tested—not to break you, but to build you.
So if you're in a wilderness season right now, stop asking, "God, why did You let this happen?" and start asking, "God, what are You trying to teach me that I couldn't learn while I was comfortable?"
Because here's the reality: what you despise, you will waste.
If you spend your wilderness season wishing you were somewhere else, you'll miss what God is doing right where you are. You'll forfeit the formation. You'll enter the promise unprepared. And when the real battles come, you won't have the character to sustain what God is trying to build.
The wilderness isn't delay. It's development.
Let's make this practical.
Stop treating transition like a problem to solve. Start treating it like a classroom to learn in. Every moment of discomfort is a moment of formation. Every question without an immediate answer is an opportunity to trust God at a deeper level.
Identify your "Egypt mindset." What are the survival tactics, fear-based decisions, or comfort-driven patterns you picked up in your past season? Write them down. Confess them. Ask God to strip them away.
Lean into the lesson. Ask yourself today: "What is God trying to teach me in this transition that I couldn't learn while comfortable?" Don't rush the process. Don't romanticize the past. Don't despise the in-between.
Commit to obedience—even when it doesn't make sense. The wilderness is where God tests whether you'll follow His voice or your preferences. Choose His voice.
And most importantly: don't waste your wilderness.
God is forming you. He's preparing you. He's stripping away what you don't need and building in you what you'll need for where He's taking you. Trust Him. Obey Him. Let Him lead you through.
Because the wilderness is not punishment.
It's preparation for promise.
PRAYER
Father, I confess that I've been treating this season like a punishment instead of preparation. Forgive me for despising the process. Forgive me for romanticizing the past and resisting the present.
I surrender my Egypt mindset—my need for control, my demand for comfort, my resistance to trust. Strip away what You need to strip. Humble me where I need humbling. Test my heart and reveal what's really in it.
Teach me to trust You when I can't see the full picture. Teach me to obey You even when it doesn't make sense. Teach me that Your presence is better than any plan I could design for myself.
I will not waste this wilderness. I will lean into the lesson. I will let You form me, refine me, and prepare me for the promise You've already spoken over my life.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
If you're reading this and you've never surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, let me tell you plainly: He is the only One who can lead you through the wilderness.
Jesus didn't just survive the wilderness—He defeated it. He was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, tempted by the enemy, and emerged victorious. He knows what it's like to be tested. He knows what it's like to trust the Father when everything around Him screamed otherwise.
And He invites you into that same relationship.
Following Jesus isn't about religious performance or Sunday attendance. It's about surrendering your life to the One who gave His life for you. It's about trusting Him with your past, your present, and your future. It's about letting Him lead you—even through the wilderness—because He's already been there and He knows the way out.
If you're ready to stop surviving and start truly living, if you're ready to trade your Egypt for His promise, then today is your day.
Pray this with me:
"Jesus, I surrender my life to You. I confess that I've been trying to lead myself, and it's not working. I need You. I believe You died for my sins and rose again to give me new life. Lead me. Teach me. Transform me. I'm Yours. In Jesus' name, Amen."
If you prayed that prayer, welcome to the family. You're not alone anymore. And we'd love to walk with you. Visit us at ekklesiachristianlife.org and let us know—we're here to support you as you grow in Christ.
LoveUMoreThanUKnow,
Pastor Stephän Kirby
Ekklesia Christian Life Ministries
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