There are seasons of life when we desperately want God to change our circumstances. We pray for healing. We ask Him to open doors. We plead for answers, and we long for relief. And sometimes He allows the circumstances to persist. Does that mean He’s aloof? Uninterested? Unwilling? Not at all. Instead, God is demonstrating His greater purpose: transforming us as He also holds us close.
That realization has become one of the greatest gifts we’ve discovered during our own wilderness journeys. When we recently looked back at a conversation we recorded last April about walking through the wilderness with God, we noticed something remarkable. The questions we were asking then have become our testimonies today.
Back then we wondered:
- Am I truly all in?
- Do my actions reflect what I say I believe?
- Am I making enough space to hear God’s voice?
- Do I really trust Him?
- Am I surrendered?
Those were honest questions—not because we had the answers, but because we wanted God to search our hearts. Search He did, not by handing us a list of things to accomplish, but by inviting us to spend more time with Him. As we sought Him, our hearts began to change. Prayer became less of a duty and more of a conversation. Surrender became less frightening and more freeing. Silence became less uncomfortable and more sacred.
Instead of striving to control every outcome (which, let’s face it, we all tend to do) we found ourselves trusting the One who already holds every outcome. One of us entered the wilderness hoping God would change difficult circumstances. Instead, He began changing her heart as she walked through those circumstances. The other discovered that when life became quieter, God’s voice became clearer. Neither of our transformations happened overnight, but over time, day by day and prayer by prayer.
That, friends, is the beautiful rhythm of spiritual growth. God rarely transforms us through one dramatic moment. More often, He changes us through daily faithfulness:
- A morning spent in prayer.
- A quiet moment in His Word.
- A choice to surrender instead of striving.
- A willingness to trust instead of control.
Little by little, He reshapes our desires until they begin to reflect His own, just like Psalm 37:4 reminds us.
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
This verse isn’t simply about God giving us what we want, even though we hear many people use it that way. The truth is that as we delight in Him, He transforms what we want. He changes our hearts, our perspective, our priorities, and ultimately He changes us. Looking back over these past months, that’s exactly what we’ve experienced. The wilderness hasn’t been wasted on us, and you don’t have to endure the wilderness fruitlessly either. Ask Him to show you what He is doing, or maybe what He started months ago and is bringing to life today.
God has been teaching us to surrender our will, our plans, and even our thoughts of ourselves. He has been reminding us that our identity isn’t found in our circumstances but in His unchanging love. He has been pruning fear, strengthening trust, deepening joy, and cultivating a greater dependence upon Him. And He is still at work.
So, how are you feeling today, friend? Maybe you’re in a wilderness season right now, and perhaps you’re praying for God to remove it. He certainly may; but perhaps before He changes your wilderness, He wants to meet you there.
Because some of the deepest intimacy with God is formed not after the wilderness—but within it.
Keep seeking Him, keep delighting in Him, and keep remembering that as you rest in His presence, one day you’ll look back and discover something beautiful: God was transforming you all along.
To watch the full video, click here.
