I Have No Intention of Coming in From the Wilderness

In Matthew 14 Jesus feeds 5000 with nothing more than a small meal fit for one or two people.  And, interestingly, he does this in the wilderness - in a remote, deserted place, a place of wandering, a place of rebellion, a place that to the Hebrew people represented being in a place of disobedience to God.

I’ve been told recently by a few people that (more or less) my ministry at the What If Project is cute and it’s nice, but “it’s time to come back in from the wilderness” and “come back to the church” and “have a bigger vision for what God can do with the church, in the church”, etc.  

But isn’t the wilderness a wonderful place? 

And isn’t God here?

Doing things?

Moving?

Drawing people to himself?

Performing miracles?

In Psalm 78:19 a rebellious heart speaks out to God and wonders, “can God spread a table in the wilderness?”  In other words, is God in the wilderness?  Is he able to feed those who are wandering just as much as he’s able to feed those who are seemingly more grounded back in the city, in the temple?  Can he feed the agnostic or the atheist or the Christian who isn’t sure what she believes anymore just as much as he’s able to feed the person who has been a dedicated Christian for 50 years, goes to church every weekend, and knows his Bible inside and out?

Can God set up a feast for the wanderer just as much as he can for the dedicated disciple?

The story in Matthew 14 shows us that he can, right?  Because this takes place in what Matthew calls a “deserted place”.  They were away from the town, away from the city, away from the market, significantly far from the places where they could normally get food. They were in a wilderness.

And they were hungry.

They were thirsty.

They were tired.

And yet, what happens?  Jesus does for them in the deserted place the very thing the Devil had tempted him to do for himself earlier in Matthew’s Gospel - he makes food appear that wasn’t there just a few moments earlier.  He answers the Psalmists question and says, “yes - yes I can spread a table in the wilderness.”  Jesus shows us that just as he can heal and perform miracles in the hustle and bustle of the city streets and in the courts of the temple, so he can perform miracles out in the deserted wilderness far away from all the church and religious elite would consider the norm, orthodox, etc.

And so ... yeah.  For me, I have no intention of coming in from the wilderness because God is out here doing wonderful and beautiful and amazing things and I feel closer to him than I ever have before.  Christ is out here.  And he’s feeding people left and right and doing miracles for the wanderers just as much if not more so than he is for the good church people back in the city.  

The people out here in the wilderness might be different and their questions and wonderings and wanderings might threaten the systems and establishments of the church with its neat and tidy doctrines and theologies and ways of doing things, but God isn’t threatened by any of it.  Instead, she’s happy to take on whatever for she needs to meet the wanderers where they are and he’s more than capable of setting up his table in their midst and showing them they are loved and adored right where they are … just how they are.

If you’re in the wilderness today and feel like you’re wandering in your faith, unsure of what you believe or are feeling apathetic towards the faith of your youth, the church, etc. … it’s OK. God or Christ or Jesus or the Divine or the Spirit or whatever you want to call him/her/them/etc. is here too and is able to be whatever you need, however you need it … all the while loving you just the way you are.

Pull up a chair, my friend, because a table has been set for you in the wilderness.

Much love,