The wilderness.

I never really experienced the solitude of the wilderness until I started hiking about 11 years ago.

As a kid, growing up in the foothills of West Virginia, I experienced walking the hills and enjoying outdoor adventures. But, I guess I didn’t really appreciate the retreat that was before me.

It’s fun to explore the wilderness, with the exception of getting lost in it. There’s a peace in the quiet of a forest, sitting and listening to the animals in their element.

As God led the Israelites into the wilderness, they were sorry to have left Egypt. They complained that they might die of starvation and thirst, so God sent them manna (food) from heaven. It fell down to the earth. Can you imagine this happening today? Wow.

You would have thought they’d be grateful for the food, but they kept complaining and were getting tired of the same food. They didn’t have the faith required, faith that God was going to deliver them from the wilderness.

For 40 years they wandered because of their unbelief and disobedience.

God promised victory; it was already theirs, they just had to believe.

And so it is today - we all have the free gift of eternal life right in front of us; accept it today and escape the wilderness.

Hebrews 3:8 - “do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness,”