Acts 13:18
“….He endured their conduct for about forty years in the wilderness…”
As I was reading the Bible this morning, working my way through the book of Acts, my eyes stopped on this verse above and I sat their speechless wondering what God was trying to say to me.
So, as I read a phrase that I had never noticed before tucked inside Paul’s sermon to the people in Pisidian Antioch, I wondered what he meant by the phrase, “He endured their conduct for about forty years in the wilderness….”
I’ve never thought about the view of the wilderness from God’s perspective. I’ve always imagined the Israelites wandering through the desert, following a cloud by day and fire by night, trusting God for manna as their daily food.
But I’ve never thought about what God saw from the other side of the wilderness.
I guess I always thought God was proud of them for trusting Him for food and for continuing to walk day by day for forty years. I guess I wanted to forget about their grumbling, their complaining, their moaning, their quick decision to create a new “god” when things got rough.
God was gracious to “endure” their time in the wilderness.
So, today, I think God is saying that He is with me and you, enduring our times in the wilderness.
After all, He sees the big picture. He knows that He will meet all of our needs just when we need them….sometimes not when we think we need them, but always WHEN WE DO!
He longs to be our ONLY GOD………and oh, how quickly we can turn to material things, other people, books, authors, etc., for the support and love that can only come from God.
So, today, as I step out to face another day of uncertainty with Nick and while I may feel that I am “wandering in the wilderness,” I am thankful for a God who endures my imperfections as I often doubt, question, worry, get angry, feel alone, and the list goes on and on.
As Thanksgiving quickly approaches, what a perfect time for God to lead me to a passage that reminds me that I have so much to be thankful for even in the wilderness.
And at the top of that list, I am thankful for a God who loves me through the good and the bad days and endures my behavior!
I am thankful for each of you, too, who choose to visit my blog and in a very real way join me in my desert time. Thank you.
God bless your Thanksgiving!!

Nick slept well last night. Mom and I just helped him get on clean jammies. He was stronger yesterday than Monday. Praying for a stronger day today.
Love,