October 26, 2017

Found in the Desert Land

“In a desert land He found him, in a barren and howling waste.  He shielded him and cared for him; He guarded him as the apple of His eye.’  Dt. 32:10

I had been driving for hours.  The GPS had me traveling the route right through the Mojave Desert in California on a weekday and there were not many other cars around.  Certainly there were not many places to stop.  The trip had already taken me on the route from the southern part of the state out to Las Vegas and now I was headed back, eventually arriving in San Diego.  Most of the driving was through the desert.

God found Israel in the desert, quite literally.  The people on the move were in a barren and howling waste.  They had escaped from Egypt only to enter the wilderness and wander around for way too long.  It became easy for Israel to focus on the desert, much like it was easy for me to focus on the desert as I was driving.  (And I was not driving a car, not walking!)  There wasn’t much life around them and I noted that on my drive.

In the desert God shielded Israel and cared for His people.  This verse tells us God guarded them as the apple of His eye.  As I prayed for the Lord’s protection for me and the vehicle, I too was being shielded, guarded and cared for. 

I reached my destination – yes, out even further into the barren wasteland where a correctional facility had been built.  No need for fences here, I thought.  Where would people escape to?  Yet the place was fenced all around.  Inside I met with about a hundred or so women, sitting in their own desert land, their own barrenness and brokenness.  The desert shifted from literal and physical to emotional and spiritual.  God met us there.  He shielded the women, caring for each one lovingly and gently.  Their tears didn’t push Him away, it drew Him closer.  The Lord guarded them, not as offenders, but as the apple of His eye.