Desert Pt 3 - The Prodigal's Desert

This will be my last post for a while regarding the seasons of "desert" that we find ourselves in. This post should be one of the most obvious to us, but somehow when we actually drift into this type of desert we get caught up with mirages and confusion and can often have a hard time discerning where we actually are.

I'm referring to this desert as "the Prodigal's desert". This is the desert you wander off into at some point all on your own. The thought process usually goes something like this, "They don't understand me...God doesn't understand me...life isn't fun enough as part of the caravan...I know what's best for ME..." and so on.

So we pull away from relationships that give us accountability. We stop trying to pursue God's will by praying and studying His word. We start making selfish decisions and disregarding what we've been taught by those who love us. Like the prodigal, we take what's "rightfully ours"...our time, money, and resources, and we think only of ourselves.

Before long, we find ourselves empty inside; longing to feel loved...desiring to belong.

When I went through this desert as a younger man, I could only describe it this way: Have you ever had a sunburn that was so bad that even the wind blowing would hurt and ache? It was like my soul was sunburned. From the inside out I ached. I was irritable, sad, depressed, lonely, and thirsty in a way I'd never experienced. I was in the prodigal's desert.

So here's the deal. If this desert is so obvious...why do people stay there? Here's a few reasons I think you might still be there:

1. You feel that you've let God down so much that He won't let you rejoin the caravan. But let me tell you...God is waiting at the end of the driveway...with binoculars...searching for you to come home. He can't wait for you to get back so he can wrap His arms around you and sprinkle clean water on you and bring healing to your sunburned soul.

2 .You think it's too far of a journey to get back out of this desert. Like, you might not survive if you try to make it back. Let me tell you something. You aren't going to survive if you stay where you are either. And it's not as far a journey as you think. No matter how many steps you've taken away from God's plan for your life...it's only one step back. God is waiting right behind you friend.

3. You keep chasing mirages that offer hope and survival in your lonely desert. Remember my first post. Just because good things may happen in the desert...it doesn't mean that's where you are supposed to be. Don't let those mirages fool you into thinking that they can actually sustain life for you. You are delirious friend.

Action points:

1. Remember that God has never stopped loving you...there's no power in heaven or on earth that can separate you from His love.
2. Don't let the howling winds and the scary heat convince you that the journey is too far. Stop right where you are...turn around and crawl, walk, or run back to the place God has for you.
3. Wake up. The vultures are circling above you. And it's not to entertain you. This is serious business. Quit staring at the mirages.
4. Don't let other people who have decided to stay in the desert convince you that you can all make it together. There is no "together" in this desert. Everyone else in this desert is looking out for only themselves, just like you.

I hope this is helpful and not too preachy. I hope you'll find your way out of whatever desert you may be in. And, I pray that you'll be able to help those near you out of their deserts as well.

God bless,
Johnny