If you know something about Christian spirituality, it is that it does not always feel the same. There are seasons when the soul feels dry, when prayer seems empty, and when God feels painfully distant. In such moments, it may seem as though all that remains is yourself and the broken, sinful world around you. Life begins to feel like a dry well in which you are buried, and you wonder if there is any way out. You long for God’s presence, but the more you reach for Him, the further away He seems.
Yet this dryness is not a sign of God’s absence, nor proof that your faith has withered. More often, it is a season of wilderness—a place where God teaches us to trust Him more deeply. In the desert, water is scarce, the sun is relentless, and the journey feels overwhelming. Vulnerability becomes real and threatening; temptations grow stronger, fears rise, and rash decisions come easily. We may feel God’s absence, yet even in the desert, God is present.
The motif of wandering in the wilderness runs throughout Scripture. Israel’s forty years in the desert and Jesus’ forty days of fasting and temptation both remind us that God is not only the God of gardens and flowing rivers but also the God of barren deserts. The loneliness of the desert does not mean abandonment. On the contrary, God walks with us through these wilderness seasons, shepherding us toward green pastures and still waters.
The testimony of Scripture is clear–even when God’s people struggled, He never left them. He provided manna in the wilderness, strength in weakness, and grace in every trial. But they still had to endure the heat and the hardship of the desert. And so did Jesus.
As a people and as a nation, we too are facing wilderness times. Gun violence, hatred, and political division weigh heavily on us, and it is easy to believe that God has turned away from our beloved nation. But Emmanuel—“God with us”—reminds us otherwise. He is here watching over us. We are not alone. Yes. In all our differences and divisions, God is with us. With God’s grace, we will surely heal.
Please join us for Sunday worship at 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Together, let us draw strength from the God who is with us in the desert and who leads us into life.
Sunday
From the E-Crier of September 25, 2025. Subscribe to the weekly newsletter.