Every year we have a lot of fun celebrating the biblical Feast of Tabernacles, we spend time together, rehearsing the stories of the time that the people of Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years, living in tents. We even have a camp out weekend where the kids are taught about the meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles. During those forty years, God provided food and water, His presence was constantly with them in the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day, but in reality, the time in the wilderness was not in God’s plan. The Israelites time in the wilderness was only a result of the disobedience of the people, because they became fearful of the inhabitants of the Promise Land (Canaan).
For forty years God was waiting for the right time to take the people into what He had promised them, He took care of them, and He kept His promise, even when they had disobeyed Him. Sometimes we may go through a similar “wilderness experience” that does not seem to be in God’s plan for our lives. Even when we fall short, disobey, or fear the giants that we face, like the people of Israel in the wilderness, we will see that God is still with us, taking care of us and preparing His people to enter into His promises.
The Father does not give up on His children, but a lot of times He uses the circumstances, and the consequences of our actions, to teach us lessons, mature us, and guide us into the next steps of our walk with Him. What we can learn from the wilderness experience is that God is patient and loving, and even when we move out of His plan, He continues to be faithful to His promises.
Therefore, we must do exactly what God told Joshua to do and constantly align our actions with His word and guidance for us.
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:7-9