In Depth Devotions for Christians

The Mountain in the Dessert

A lot happens in the desert; just look at it, it's dry, dusty, and very little lives in the desert. 9 times out of 10 it’s abandoned, which makes it a perfect place to hide.

Yet God uses the deserts of our lives to teach us some of our greatest life lessons.

While I was looking for a verse for this Coffee Table Discussion I half laughed when the Lord led me to the one I’m using. It was funny I had started on a whole other topic meaning to talk about who he was and I guess I do bring that up a bit too. I’m still laughing a bit, (A little insight into how I go about working these discussions. I first hand write then type so if I missed anything I give God the opportunity for it to be added. It also allows me to let you in like I am now a little deeper.) The Lord led me to a verse I don’t think many of us think much about in the Story of Moses. It’s kind of looked over yet it’s still profound. 

Let’s get a little into the story of Moses we all know most of it. How he fled to the desert after killing an eygption for abusing an Israelite and that’s right before where the verse is BUT even before that God was keeping him for the great use with the nation of Israel. I mean let's recount Moses was supposed to be killed at birth yet God allowed Pharaoh's daughter to find him in a basket in the Nile so he was raised in the house of the same person who signed his death sentence. 

But like I said we aren’t focusing on that part of Moses’ story No just one little verse found in Exodus 3:1 (KJV) which states simply:

“Now Moses kept the flocks of Jethro his father in law the priest of Midian: and he led the flocks to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God even unto Herab”... Now we all know the famous next verse. That bush catches fire but isn’t consumed and it freaking talks (well an angel talks through it). But again that’s not what we’re talking about. 

Moses had been hiding out in a desert from everything that had happened in Egypt. Moses himself was in a personal desert running from God. Yet in the verse we clearly read that even in the backside of the desert there was a place of God. A mountain to be exact. An immovable mountain. Something that is a little hard to run from or kind of hard to miss (#JustSaying). 

We all know that the desert is kind of a recurring theme with Moses and the people of Israel. It’s probably even a running joke in heaven. 

Let me say again if I’ve not already then let me say it: It’s not the first time God uses the deserts of our lives; when we are running usually from him; to teach us the most life lessons with the biggest impact. 

In 2004 a lot happened in my personal life. (And I’m going to ramble again sorry not sorry you’ll understand (hopefully) in the end.) I remember vividly learning that my grandfather had cancer. I remember praying often for a complete healing (side bar) . I also remember Easter of that year going to church watching him go to the altar to pray during worship service and remaining there the entire service. Looking back I believe that at that point God let him know what was to come in the next few months. And that God gave him a still peace about it. This happened before Cooper and the biopsy that would tell us it was 9.99999999999 times out of 10 fatal.(end sidebar) The next few months I watched a strong man (a very Godly man) go down hill and go down fast.  August 23, 2004 one of the hardest days of my life. I was home with mom, grandmom had gone to Cape May with her eldest son and daughter in law. We’d overslept and woke up around 9:30. I had leashed up Julie and taken her out. I was sitting at the picnic table in the back with the portable phone when it rang about 10:23. I can’t say I had a feeling or knew what the phone call was when it rang but as soon as I heard the voice on the other side asking if Helen Earnest was home (I knew the voice and where it was calling from) my blood went ice cold and I knew. I wanted to drop the phone but I didn’t. To be honest I wanted to RUN. I handed the phone to my mom as she came out and asked who it was. We went to the nursing home and we all gathered his kids ,some of his grandkids. That’s how that whole week went up to grandfather’s funeral we just gathered from all the corners we had spread out to in this world. 

I remember not necessarily being mad at or with God but not understanding WHY. I was gungho that God would completely heal Grandfather and he would be the John Earnest he was before the cancer. I didn’t understand God had healed completely by calling him home to be the John Earnest God had PROMISED him he’d be in the name of JESUS. I was young still back then almost half my lifetime ago, I didn’t understand how God worked back then and I still don’t have a complete grasp on it just that God works things out in his own way not ours. God’s plans though so much greater than our/my own were not what I had expected so I took a step back I ran to my desert and thought I hid from God. I never forgot him (Raise up a child in the way that they should go and they will never depart from it. I had been raised up right for sure) There were many small reminders I needed to come back to the church and recommit to the Lord’s moving. Elders from my past would remind me of my past and my raising. And I’m sure my grandmother’s prayers helped as well. I wasn't worn down that’s not why I came back and I can’t pinpoint exactly when it was or what it was that called me back home but almost 10 years later I came back home to my second home and to my second family. And I might add I never stopped believing in/on the name of Jesus or the bible I just didn’t care at that time I was so spiritually numb it wasn’t funny. In those years God did not by any way stop showing his hand in my life. No, he moved in many ways his grace abounded in those years. And in the end it wasn’t a burning bush that brought me back as was with Moses calling him back to Egypt. It was solely a desire to go back to my roots. In the desert time God did tell me some things I heard very clearly. And have yet to be fulfilled but I wait on God’s time for those. I’ll never forget my resolve to not return to the church for personal reasons besides my grandfather’s death. I’m no Moses at least I don’t feel called as Moses was but I was called back as Moses was to Egypt from my dry desert. I still fought my desert and I still fight dry periods (They will never stop) but as the lord sent manna to Israel he still sent those little pick me ups today. It took me a long time to feel the rain after that period and I still have my dry times but the rain STILL came. I’ve learned some hard things: Sorrow, pain, and hurt are all very real and can seem like chains holding us down even me (yes a Christian just admitted that I’M NOT PERFECT in any way.) yes I know BUT Hope, Joy and Love are greater in the name of Jesus. And Peace… God grants us an amazing peace in the storms or deserts of life. I know that God’s forgiveness was never withheld from me at any time.

No God does not dwell in a building but moves about his people he is always with his children always a breathe’s distance always closer than a brother. We know this because the bible tells us this. 

Just remember when you’re going about the backside of your desert God’s still there, not looming in doom before you remember God didn’t use the mountain to speak. No he used that stupid little bush. (could you imagine if he did use the mountain… Moses would have fainted dead…. OKAY AARON YOUR UP NEXT>>>) it burned but was not consumed. 

Just be still and know that he is God! Even in these uncertain times.