Come Out the Wilderness

I am leaning on the Lord, who died on Calvary. Tell me, how did you feel when you come out the wilderness? Tell me, how did you feel when you come out come out the wilderness, leaning on the Lord? Did you love everybody when you come out the wilderness? Did you love everybody when you come out, leaning on the Lord? Did your soul feel happy when you come out the wilderness? Did your soul feel happy when you come out, come out the wilderness, leaning on the Lord? ~ From “Come Out the Wilderness” #416 in the United Methodist Hymnal

 

            The words above are adapted from the African American hymn. I shortened the repetitions in order to keep the main points visible and to save some space.

 

            I have completed the recent series of sermon messages about the wilderness wanderings of God’s people in the Bible. I feel sure that Shiloh’s journey toward the Promised Land is far from complete though. The premise of the series was predicated upon the idea that we were forced out of the church building and all of the comfortable routines we’d taken for granted there, much like the Israelites who left Egypt behind so that they could remember who they really were.

 

As we stayed home and learned to be the Church without a building, we saw ourselves reflected in the stories of the wandering Israelites and the seven churches of Revelation. Even while we returned to the building and some familiar practices, it became apparent that we could not go back to Egypt and that we aren’t all ready for the Promised Land. Egypt represents the old, comfortable, lukewarm religion and the Promised Land represents the narrow way of persevering faith and duty to Christ that makes us in the world, but not of the world. Living the Way of Promise will require joyful acceptance of discomfort and separation from worldly friends and others.

 

Training for the Promised Land requires discipline and devotion. It means we will genuinely desire to “be disciples, seek disciples, and change the world.” Compromising will gradually diminish, and our hearts will hurt when we choose the flesh over Christ. We will always lean on the Lord and love others for His Name’s sake. Freedom from sin and death; freedom from slavery to money and possessions; freedom from social obligations and status, and freedom from the tyranny of the temporary will fill our hearts with infectious joy.

 

Tell me how you feel as you come out the wilderness. What will it be like to see the Promise just ahead? To know that Christ is ready to reward you for faithful devotion to His Kingdom – the Kingdom that has no end.