There are many warnings in The Word about how we think, speak and act during times of visitation and abundance from God. On the other hand there are not really any WARNINGS about how to think,speak and act during times of lack,pain and bondage. Matter of fact, God has always heard and honored the cry of His hurting people.
This is an important truth to consider. Let me explain why I believe misunderstanding this has led to us placing unnecessary burdens on Gods People who are already weighed down and in a place of bondage and pain.
I want to use a well used story from The Bible and give a different perspective on them. I am certainly not negating all that has been taught on this subject, however I do believe That The Lord wants to give His People a new perspective on this subject.
For as long as there has been sermons we have heard how God did not allow His People in The Promised Land because of how the grumbled and complained in The Wilderness. They thought,spoke and acted in a way that was displeasing to The Lord. Their continual lack of faith in God and His Goodness led to a whole generation wandering and ultimately dying in The Wilderness.
All of this is scriptural, solid and good teaching. The perspective I want to challenge is what we commonly consider "The Wilderness Experience."
Was the great sin of Gods People complaining in a place of barrenness and lack? Are they a good example of how we need to stay in faith during the painful times of life? Did they dishonor God by crying out to Him, lifting up a compliant , expressing their pain, during a time of bondage and dryness, like so many sermons and books have taught?
Or have we taught The Wilderness Experience with a flipped perspective? Is the lesson we need to learn, sort of the opposite of the lesson that is revealed in scripture?
First lets look at how They were brought out of bondage. God heard the cries, and complaints of His people who were in hard bondage and slavery in Egypt. He wasn't angry with their complaints and cries from Egypt and the place of pain. No, He answered them, by setting them free, miraculously and with great abundance. Their cries were in line with His will for them to be free.
Remember this, it is very important to the message I believe The Lord wants us to receive from this article.
Lets start here with their journey. God heard their cries and he brought them forth in abundance healing and strength. They were a rich, healed and free people. This is the definition of The Wilderness Experience. Not quite like how we teach on our own Wilderness Experiences: Wandering, not in God promises yet, lacking, barren etc.
Doesn't seem like an important difference, after all, the teachings we have on The Wilderness Experience seem good, they teach us not to grumble and complain, to stay moving even if we are not in The Promised Land yet.
But, just because something seems to work, doesn't mean it is scriptural and it doesn't mean that the small difference in perspective isn't causing some of Gods people to stay in bondage, when they do not have to be.
The distinction is important and the application to Gods People now, makes all the difference.The real lesson we need to receive from The Wilderness Experience of The Children of Israel, is not that they complained and grumbled from the place of bondage and lack. Quite the opposite , it is that they complained, grumbled and dishonored God during a time of a great outpouring of His Presence and Abundance. God broke through into this world and demonstrated all His Mighty Attributes and Character.
He showed Himself as Deliverer, Provider, Healer, Protector, Father.
This is what we need to teach those who are hurting and in bondage:
God hears your cries. Your groaning to be free is your spirit connecting with Gods Will for you to be free. He understands your pain. He doesn't want you in bondage and pain. He lays no further burden on you to perform for Him. He wants you free.
We have taught so often that God expects us to be joyful in pain, to not complain or cry out when life has us in bondage and lack (here is where we erroneously connect this to The Wilderness Journey) that we have inadvertently caused people to be afraid to be real with God.
We have caused people to believe that God somehow expects them to embrace Egypt, to dance in the brick pits of pharaohs hard bondage. When God is looking for us to cry out to Him, BE HONEST WITH HIM, and acknowledge that He is The Same God that sets His People free into rich abundance and healing.
I want to share an experience I had at a prayer meeting some time ago. I have never shared this with anyone, however it was a very important moment in time for me and this message. I want to start by saying that I am not negating anything that happened during this experience. I am not disrespecting those involved or saying that they were wrong in anyway. I am simply sharing a very powerful experience I had with The Lord and what stirred in my heart as a result.
I was attending a prayer meeting and there was a woman that was in an extreme amount of pain and had been for a very long time. She was suffering from a life threatening disease. My heart broke for her. A group of us began to pray for her. The theme was rejoicing in pain, there were a few ladies worshiping loudly, praising GOD, and encouraging her to rejoice in the pain, that she had to laugh at the enemy, that she had to rejoice in the trial.
The scene was almost celebratory, but, my spirit man was troubled. I found myself backing away, and actually trying to leave a few times, but The Holy Spirit kept pulling me back. I stood there watching, troubled in spirit, not exactly sure why.
I left that meeting carrying something The Lord has deposited in my spirit. Sometime later this woman went home to be with The Lord, finally receiving peace from her pain. When I heard about it, a flood of revelation came to my spirit.
Does The Lord really expect us to find a way to rejoice even when we are in deep bondage and pain?Does He really require us to be able to stir up joy, in order to be considered to be in faith, even when broken, dying and in the mud pits of Egypt , under the whip of our enemy?
You see, we have used scriptures on how to endure trials, how to travel The Wilderness, and how to go from The Pit to The Palace, as evidence that God somehow wants us to embrace bondage and not cry out, call out or even lift up a complaint to God for deliverance.
So many of The Lords precious people are suffering in silence. They are putting on an act. They are carrying a burden, they are not meant to carry. There are leaders throughout this land that think they have to put on some sort of show. They wont share their pain, their weaknesses or their struggles with anyone because they fear looking weak or of being accused of not being qualified.
I have seen people with life threatening diagnosis say they didn't want to say anything to anyone because they thought they had to stand on their own faith and didn't want to lay any burden on their Pastor. This is a direct result of a misunderstanding of things like The Wilderness Experience.
We must allow people to hurt. We must let them know that they can be real with God. We must let them know that Jesus paid the full price, took the burden of bondage, and opened the door to approach God with no mask, no show, no false joy, to try and prove something to Him.
If people do not feel safe and free to express their pain, discomfort, fears and doubts to The Lord fully, they will never trust Him enough to be open and honest with Him. They will think that He wants them stuck in Egypt, they will never see Him as deliverer, but just another task master, expecting them to perform for His blessing and if they don't, they fear the whip of his displeasure and abandonment.
This is real, these things have been sowed into our hearts for to long. We are supposed to be those who help each other lift burdens. We need to tear the roof off Peters house if need be to help our friends. We don't leave people to stand on their own faith when they are in severe bondage and broken in pain. We can never make people feel guilty for not being able to shout for joy while pounding out bricks , starving and under the whips of Egypt.
Lets stand as one body, carrying each others burdens. Lets be true covenant people, being strong for those who are weak and fighting for and with those who are in battle. Cry out to The Lord in your distress, and He will deliver you. We will stand with you, help you and even carry you until that day comes.
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