Dance your way through the desert...

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18

Oftentimes we focus on the glories, but how often do we think about the in between times, the seemingly endless seasons between the glories? The desert season.

What does it mean to be in a desert season? Webster’s Dictionary defines the word desert as arid land with usually sparse vegetation; especially such land having a very warm climate and receiving sporadic rainfall, an area apparently devoid of life, a wild uninhabited and uncultivated tract, a desolate or forbidding area (lost in a desert of doubt.)  In my experience I would describe a spiritual desert season or valley as a time of intense longing or hunger for the Lord to break into an area of need, the in-between, transitional period between glory and glory. The time when all that is beautiful and life giving is stripped away and you are left with the reality of who you are without the veneer or the “anointing”. Sometimes we hear it described as a valley, a wilderness, John of the cross named it the dark night of the soul, Job, King David and Moses described it as a time of affliction.

And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression. Deuteronomy 26:7

My eye wastes away because of affliction. LORD, I have called daily upon You; I have stretched out my hands to You. Psalm 88:9

"And now my soul is poured out because of my [plight]; The days of affliction take hold of me.” Job 30:16

One of my favorite authors Oswald Chambers says so wisely, “We have all experienced times of exaltation on the mountain, when we have seen things from God’s perspective and have wanted to stay there. But God will never allow us to stay there. The true test of our spiritual life is in exhibiting the power to descend from the mountain. If we only have the power to go up, something is wrong. It is a wonderful thing to be on the mountain with God, but a person only gets there so that he may later go down and lift up the demon-possessed people in the valley (see Mark 9:14-18). We are not made for the mountains, for sunrises, or for the other beautiful attractions in life— those are simply intended to be moments of inspiration. We are made for the valley and the ordinary things of life, and that is where we have to prove our stamina and strength. Yet our spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mountain. We feel that we could talk and live like perfect angels, if we could only stay on the mountaintop. Those times of exaltation are exceptional and they have their meaning in our life with God, but we must beware to prevent our spiritual selfishness from wanting to make them the only time. In actual fact, it is to be turned into something even better than teaching, namely, character. The moments on the mountaintop are rare moments, and they are meant for something in God’s purpose.

How many times have I kicked and screamed in objection to the spiritually dry seasons because I am not encountering the Lord the way I want? Oswald Chambers blew my ego out of the water, we are made for the valley?!?!?! Everything in me wants to revolt at this! Are we not made as lamps of the glory of God? Yes! But nowhere does it say that in order to bear the glory of God we have to be on the mountain top. 

 Desert seasons are inevitable, they can be self inflicted, a result of sin and disobedience or they can be a season allowed by God for the purpose of testing and refining of our faith. Either way, it is the desert where the Lord kindly molds us and shapes our hearts into maturity and wholeness.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.  And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”

 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?  For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.  Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:1-11

 When I was in the midst of the most painful season of my life, I was wallowing in self condemnation, introspection and self pity. During one of the nights where I was in the most extreme of the depths of despair and crying out to the Lord, “Where are You? I thought You said You would never leave me or forsake me! I thought You promised to be my Comforter! Why would You abandon me if You are supposed to be good? You promised not to give me more than I can handle!” The responded to my cries, “I am re-bulding the cracks in your foundation.” I thought, what is that supposed to mean? Is that supposed to be consoling? I didn’t actually understand what the Lord was meaning with those words until a year later when I stumbled upon Isaiah 54.

Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;
Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame;
For you will forget the shame of your youth,
And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.

For your Maker is your husband,
The Lord of hosts is His name;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
He is called the God of the whole earth.

For the Lord has called you
Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Like a youthful wife when you were refused,”
Says your God.

“For a mere moment I have forsaken you,
But with great mercies I will gather you.

With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,”
Says the Lord, your Redeemer.

“For this is like the waters of Noah to Me;
For as I have sworn
That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth,
So have I sworn
That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.

For the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

“O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.

I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
Your gates of crystal,
And all your walls of precious stones.

All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
And great shall be the peace of your children.

In righteousness you shall be established;
You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
And from terror, for it shall not come near you.

Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me.
Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.

“Behold, I have created the blacksmith
Who blows the coals in the fire,
Who brings forth an instrument for his work;
And I have created the spoiler to destroy.

No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord. Isaiah 54


The Lord in His faithfulness and His mercy loves us enough to prune away everything that hinders love in our hearts. That is what He is doing in me, rebuilding every crack and every area where my foundation is faulty. It hurts, it is difficult, I feel overwhelmed with the darkness in my heart, but I trust that what the enemy intended for evil, the Lord will work together for good because I love Him and I know He will make something beautiful out of the ashes of my life. IF I don't give up and IF I keep my heart tender toward Him.

Sometimes we are propelled into a dry season through circumstances completely unrelated to sin. Job was a righteous man that remained faithful to the Lord and His promises despite devastating circumstances. Consider Job, the Lord used his circumstances to root His faith even deeper in the Lord. 

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth and from walking back and forth on it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” And the Lord said to satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power , only, do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. Job 1:6-12 

 Our father’s in the faith experienced dry seasons! Time and time again the bible gives us examples of how faithfulness and perseverance in the desert season is the training ground the Lord uses to propel His people into their destinies.    

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

But Jesus answered him, saying,“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written:‘He shall give His angels charge over you,To keep you,’ and,‘In their hands they shall bear you up,Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ” Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. Luke 4:1-14

Jesus remained faithful and steadfast, enduring the trials in the wilderness and it was the strengthening and maturing season that propelled Him into His ministry.

We see this as a common thread throughout the bible.

Moses’ season in Midian resulted with an encounter with God in the burning bush and the Lord anointing him as the deliverer of the nation of Israel. (Exodus 2-3) Hannah struggled with barrenness but remained faithful to God and gave her son as an offering to the Lord. Her son became a righteous priest and prophet to the nation of Israel. (1 Samuel 1:10-16, 2:4-9) David stayed faithful to the Lord and in Godly character during His season of persecution by Saul. Shortly after, he became king over the nation of Israel and the Lord sent His Son, the Redeemer of the nation of Israel through his line. (1 Samuel 18:14, 23, 24:8-22) John the Baptist’s season of maturity in the desert prepared him for his ministry as a forerunner. (Luke 1:67-80, Matthew 3:1-5, Mark 1:2-5) John the Beloved was exiled to the island of Patmos where the Lord gave him the book of Revelation. (Revelation 1:9)


Time and time again it is the FORERUNNER that emerges from the desert, fully equipped for their assignment.

Why should it be any different for us who are called by God to minister in our own assigned time and place?

It is so easy to give in to discouragement when we are facing the seemingly endless wilderness season. I have compiled a few keys to focus on in order to remain alive when all of life seems to be draining the joy out of us.

1. Commit yourself to the process, trust that the Lord is good even when your life looks ugly and despair knocks at your door! He who began a good work in you will complete it! We need to trust God’s purpose and sovereignty in the dry season. (Hebrews 6:10-20,10:32-39, 12:1-13, Romans 5:1-9, 8:18-26, James 1:2-8, 5:7-12)

But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of  love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,  saying,“Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:10-20

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete [it] until the day of Jesus Christ; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. - Philippians 1:3-7

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4

2. We need to fix our gaze on the Lord and not on our circumstances. When we focus on ourselves and negativity, we fall into a dangerous myopic swirl, robbing ourselves of the growth and maturity we could’ve gained in the desert. Are we focusing failures or do we really trust the Lord’s strength to be made perfect in our weakness? Where we are fixing our gaze often determines how long we wander in the desert.

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?

My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore. Psalm 121

3. Know your God and His character! The enemy will do his best to make you believe wrong thoughts about God, don’t fall prey to his plans to make you angry at the Lord. Counteract the lies by immersing yourself in the truth of who God is.  If you get offended, the enemy wins. God will work everything together for good for those who are called according to His purpose! 

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to [His] purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined [to be] conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Romans 8:27-30

4. Abide in Him! Dialogue with Him, share your heart, your fears, your insecurities, these seasons are an invitation to friendship! He will give you the desire of your heart to be alive again if you trust His purpose in the dry season. Prayerlessness ALWAYS leads to powerlessness! Press in to the heart of the Lord, even when you don't feel like it. Tell Him how your heart feels! Stay connected to the vine, it is our source of life!

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. "I am the vine, you [are] the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw [them] into the fire, and they are burned. "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” John 15:5-9

5. Exercise your faith, don’t give in to doubt! Doubt is the doorway to despair! The Lord honors your faithfulness and your trust in Him.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good. Hebrews 11:1

6. Focus on truth, know the word! There are a few scriptures that have been my trail map over the years, every time I am experiencing those overwhelming moments, I hang onto His promises to me. 

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that [my] glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever. Psalm 30:11-12

[Let your] conduct [be] without covetousness; [be] content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

Take advantage of this season to build your history with God, if you keep your heart tender and willing, it is amazing what He can do with your life, even in your weakest state! One of my hero’s in the faith is Jeanne Guyon, her life was full of trials and crosses. The thing that most amazed me about her character was that in everything she saw the Lord! In her autobiography she describes a season in prison that I look to whenever I am experiencing momentary troubles. 

I shall not speak of that long persecution, which has made so much noise, for a series of ten years imprisonments, in all sorts of prisons, and of a banishment almost as long, and not yet ended, through crosses, calumnies, and all imaginable sorts of sufferings. There are facts too odious on the part of divers persons, which charity induces me to cover.

I have borne long and sore languishings, and oppressive and painful maladies without relief. I have been also inwardly under great desolations for several months, in such sort that I could only say these words, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me!" All creatures seemed to be against me. I then put myself on the side of God, against myself.

Perhaps some will be surprised at my refusing to give the details of the greatest and strongest crosses of my life, after I have related those which were less. I thought it proper to tell something of the crosses of my youth, to show the crucifying conduct which God held over me. I thought myself obliged to relate certain facts, to manifest their falsehood, the conduct of those by whom they had passed, and the authors of those persecutions of which I have been only the accidental object, as I was only persecuted, in order to involve therein persons of great merit; whom, being out of their reach by themselves, they, therefore, could not personally attack, but by confounding their affairs with mine. I thought I owed this to religion, piety, my friends, my family, and myself.

While I was prisoner at Vincennes, and Monsieur De La Reine examined me, I passed my time in great peace, content to pass the rest of my life there, if such were the will of God. I sang songs of joy, which the maid who served me learned by heart, as fast as I made them. We together sang thy praises, O, my God! The stones of my prison looked in my eyes like rubies; I esteemed them more than all the gaudy brilliancies of a vain world. My heart was full of that joy which Thou givest to them who love Thee, in the midst of their greatest crosses. When things were carried to the greatest extremities, being then in the Bastile, I said, "O, my God, if thou art pleased to render me a new spectacle to men and angels, Thy holy will be done!"

 Jeanne Guyon- Autobiography, December 1709

A Little Bird Am I

Madam Jeanne Guyon 

A little bird I am 

Shut from the fields of air; 

And in my cage I sit and sing 

To Him who placed me there; 

Well pleased a prisoner to be, 

Because, my God it pleases Thee.

Nought have I else to do, 

I sing the whole day long; 

And He whom most I love to please, 

Doth listen to my song; 

He caught and bound my wandering wing, 

But still He bends to hear me sing.

Thou hast an ear to hear, 

A heart to love and bless; 

And though my notes were e’er so crude, 

Thou wouldst not hear the less; 

Because Thou knowest as they fall, 

That love, sweet love, inspires them all.

My cage confines me round, 

Abroad I cannot flee; 

But though my wing is closely bound, 

My heart's at liberty. 

My prison walls cannot control 

The flight, the freedom of the soul.

Oh! it is good to soar 

These bolts and bars above, 

To Him whose purpose I adore, 

Whose providence I love; And in 

Thy mighty will to find 

The joy, the freedom of the mind.