We all have our tale of heartbreak. Whether it’s a break-up, miscarriage, personal failure, illness, financial crisis, infertility, divorce, death, or abandonment, not one person reading this is immune to a wilderness season. Each woman’s wilderness just bears a different name. I know this much to be true because while I trekked through my own, I had friends facing some harsh terrain of their own.
A close friend dealt with the heartbreak of multiple miscarriages as she time and again hoped for a child, only to have her hope dashed within weeks of conception. Another girlfriend struggled to put her life back together after watching her precious mother lose a battle with cancer. A different friend waited for a job offer during a long season of unemployment, only to find closed doors at every turn.
Understanding the Wilderness Season
Throughout the Bible, a wilderness season is a time of testing, trying, and training an individual. It is often marked by a period of isolation, loneliness, temptation, sorrow and waiting. Why? Circumstances that try us, train us. Situations that break us, shape us. Such is the wilderness.
Overcoming obstacles - Steven Claunch
Weeks into my own wilderness I realized something dark and sinister was stirring. These doubts and questions about God’s goodness, faithfulness, and love that I usually never struggled with seemed to hiss and snarl at me from every turn. Although at the moment I didn’t fully comprehend my situation, now looking back I know the Enemy, Satan, was lurking. During that time, life quickly moved from a break-up to a battlefield. The fight was on, and this fight was for my faith. The enemy worked overtime in my thought life.
The questions were the worst part. I’d lay my head on my pillow at night, desperately trying to fall asleep, and here they would come. The primary question targeted at my heart was sinister: if God is so good, then why do you hurt so bad? I thought He (Jesus) loved you and had a wonderful plan for your life? It seems your God has blessings for everyone but you.
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The Battle for Faith
Then one day I heard a sermon by Louie Giglio about worship. To paraphrase, Louie said, “We (humanity) are worshippers. That is why we were created, and that is what we do. It’s not a matter of if you worship. You do worship…the question rather is who or what do you worship.” So I’m listening, nodding in agreement when Louie said the words that just about knocked me off my chair. Suddenly my circumstances made perfect sense. I was living in the middle of a battlefield!
I was in the battle for my faith. My passionate love for Jesus Christ was under attack. Louie’s message exploded like a truth grenade. I was in a war. Satan, the father of lies, wanted me to bail on loving Jesus. It would delight Satan if I ceased worshipping God when life didn’t turn out as I planned.
Worship as a Weapon
For months, with mascara smearing down my face, I worshipped the Lord through tears. I don’t say this to pat myself on the back. No, I tell you this because corporate worship was a battleground. I love to sit in the front row in church. But as I walked through the wilderness, my pride hated the front row because it became a public display of my misery. During my wilderness season, engaging in corporate worship was a choice. I learned quickly that worship is a choice of the will.
To worship God and to give Him glory in the midst of heartache is a sacrifice of praise. I would sing these words with tears racing down my face. The battle was intense, and the mascara sure burned my eyes, yet I was not about to let the enemy steal my worship. I fought. I lifted my hands and sang the words until the storm raging in my soul was quieted by the conviction of my will. To believe.
The Power of Praise
At some point in the wilderness, I realized this truth: there was no better way for me to express my love to God than by staying faithful to him in my pain. There was no better way for me to express my love to God than by staying faithful to him in my pain. Praise-the Bible teaches us that praise is the password into God’s Presence.
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When we experience the enemy’s fiery darts of doubt and fear, it is in those moments we must choose to turn up the praise. So whether you sing or verbally declare God’s goodness by quoting a Psalm, whichever weapon you choose, you are winning the battle for your heart. And here’s why this works: the enemy will not stay around if we are actively praising God. This is the very thing he hates, and when we choose to praise in the midst of pain, we are fighting an invisible battle which rages around us.
Worship Tips for the Wilderness
- Keep a playlist ready on iTunes that are your “go-to” worship songs when you feel the battle surrounding you.
- Also, keep a list of scriptures to help you praise God in moments of weakness.
Serving Others
Worship is not just something we do on Sunday mornings; worship is a way of life. One way to fight the pull towards self-pity is to serve. Volunteer at your church and put your spiritual gifts into action. (There is nothing more thrilling than doing what God created you to do.) Or perhaps you could volunteer at a hospital or a local homeless shelter.
I know there are many women out there who are currently walking through a wilderness season. Whether yours is an unmet longing, a broken heart, or a season of grief, the Redeemed Girl team would love to pray for you as you worship in the midst of your wilderness.
| Aspect of Wilderness | Spiritual Significance | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Testing | Opportunity for growth and strengthening faith | Choose faith over doubt |
| Isolation | Time for deeper connection with God | Seek God's presence in solitude |
| Heartbreak | Opportunity for healing and renewed hope | Worship through pain |
| Doubt and Fear | Enemy's attack on faith | Praise God actively |
| Self-Pity | A trap to avoid | Serve others |
Read also: Understanding Mercy as a Gift