What comes to mind when you think about the word wilderness? Loneliness, dryness, uninhabited, abandoned, baron, or perhaps simply empty. A wilderness experience can sometimes be a time of spiritual attack and intensified temptation. It may be a sign of God’s faith testing challenge.

As I continue to reflect on this word, my mind began to create a scene of a dry wind blowing dirt in a whirlwind formation with sun rays beaming down on the dry ground. As I looked around, I don’t see anything green, no grass or trees, no sign of water, no animals, and most of all – no other person.

But as I walked around in this desolate place, a strong wind came my way that pushes me in an unknown direction. I’m forced to cover my eyes because of the flying dirt but I keep moving forward. I began to worry as the wind grew stronger, and stronger, and I felt unprotected but somehow, I knew I needed to be keep moving. Finally, there was a surge of power through the air that knocked me facedown to the dry ground. I laid still for a moment trying to process what just happened. I couldn’t believe that I was not hurt. My eyes began to fill with tears, and I asked GOD why, I must admit I even asked HIM if HE was there…had HE forgotten about HIS daughter.

But then I heard a still small voice that came across my heart that confirmed HIS presence and gave me a sense of peace even in the wilderness. HE told me to turn my head to the right side of where I fell and tell HIM what I see. I saw a small yellow flower coming through a crack of the dry ground.
How could that be? How could this little flower push its way through that dry ground and survive? It not only pushed through but came forth in a vibrant yellow color. This flower pressed through seemingly without help; against the odds and its purpose was not to be defeated.

Are you in a wilderness experience that feels confused or overwhelmed? It is here that God needed you to demonstrate your faith in HIM even in the worst of times.
HE needed to show you that you can still push through your circumstance, allow yourself to bloom toward a beautiful flower that HE has created you to be.

“LORD, thank you for meeting me exactly where you wanted me to be in this wilderness experience. I didn’t realize that the tears from my eyes were used to water the flower that was about to bloom. It was not only my time to bloom but to blossom.”