Setting My Face to the Wilderness
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There’s a fairly well-known story in the Bible about Balaam and his donkey, in which the donkey calls out his owner for beating him. But there’s more to the story than just a talking donkey. Balaam, the donkey’s owner, is a prophet, but a pretty bad one because, as the Bible makes clear, he’s a guy who can be bought to say whatever a powerful king wants to hear.
(Side note: that’s what false prophets do—they give a “feel good” message that people want to hear. Even today. The Bible says we should beware!)
Balak, the king of Moab, asks Balaam to come and curse the Israelites, because the Israelites are his enemy. Balaam and Balak set up seven altars and offer sacrifices on each one, most likely calling upon sorcery and omens to try to get the job done. But God gives Balaam a message he cannot help but deliver, and it’s not the message Balak has paid for—it’s a message of blessing upon the Israelites.
Not one to be deterred, Balak tries again, moving to a new location, building a new altar, and burning new sacrifices. But the same thing happens: Balaam delivers a message of peace upon Israel.
They try a third time, and Balaam says, “Didn’t I tell you? All that the Lord says, I must do.”
But here, in this third location overlooking the desert, Balaam hears God’s message and seems to have a heart shift. Numbers 24:1 says this: “When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go, as other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness.”
This verse stopped me in my tracks because, clearly, Balaam is learning something here. And it made me wonder what I could learn from Balaam’s encounter with God.
In this verse, Balaam saw three things:
First, that it pleased God to bless Israel. All along, Balaam was learning that he could not thwart God’s plan, but now he sees how happy it makes the Lord to bless his people. We can stop striving when we rest in the knowledge that God loves to bless his children. His plan is good.
Second, looking for omens or some prophetic significance doesn’t work. Balaam stopped looking for signs and simply met with God and listened to his voice. We need to remember that God is not out to trick us or to be mysterious. He speaks when we take a posture of humble listening.
Finally, he set his face toward the wilderness. So far, for the Israelites, the wilderness has been a place of wandering, of questioning, of waiting, and of doubting God. And often it’s the same in our own lives. The wilderness is uncomfortable, a place to hurry through so that we can stop wandering, stop waiting, and head straight to the Promised Land.
Why would we ever set our face toward the wilderness?
Because the wilderness is where the growth happens. It’s where we learn to depend on God for everything we need. It’s where we struggle, yes, but it’s where God comes very near. Balaam looked out over the wilderness and he saw God’s people. More than that, it’s where he saw God.
I’ve been in a wilderness these past few years as I’ve wandered through grief and loss, pain and sorrow. And yet, God has been with me, never leaving my side. He’s teaching me things about his character that are being embedded into my heart and soul that I can take with me into future wilderness journeys.
Even now, as I wait to see whether we will be able to take our first Walkabout trip, I feel like I’m in a wilderness. We haven’t made it to the Promised Land yet (ha!), but I’m waiting for it to open up.
What will I learn in this wilderness time? What will I allow God to do in my heart? What will I hear from him that I may need to pass on to the women on the trip? I don’t need to search the news for signs from the politicians about whether the UK will open up. I need to be faithful to prepare like we’re going, to set my heart in the right place so I can lead the trip well.
Friend, do you feel like God has abandoned you in the wilderness? The Israelites felt like that too. I mean, seriously, they walked for 40 YEARS to take a journey that should have taken 11 days! (Yep, it says that in Deuteronomy 1:2) Yet, in Deuteronomy chapters 1 and 2, Moses reminds them of all they have walked through as they wandered through the wilderness.
Finally, in Deuteronomy 2:7, Moses reminds them of this one great truth. It’s a truth that is as applicable today in our own wilderness as it was to the Israelites back then. It says, “For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the works of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.”
Friend, the Lord your God is with you today, no matter what you are going through. He knows your wilderness and he sees your wandering. You can trust him to provide everything you need and you can believe that he will see you safely to the land he has promised you.
