Reflection on Biblical Wilderness
In early March, six of the men engaged in ongoing discipleship (what we call “Yokefellows”) met in the hill country West of San Antonio, Texas, for our annual wilderness retreat.
I want to invite you into a special moment from that week.
It was three days into the four-day wilderness retreat, and as the men awoke, there was a palpable lightness of spirit over the group, and an eagerness to move our bodies, so we echoed Jesus in John 14:31 and said, “Arise, let us go from here!”
We set out just after breakfast for a climb up a ridgeline. The men naturally dipped into deep and personal conversation as they scrambled up the hill, stopping at each vista to admire the view as it increasingly revealed the landscape.
Liminal Transition
On adventures like this, I've always got my eyes open for natural features that create opportunities to connect teaching with experience. So, as we climbed, I was thinking about how to facilitate a liminal boundary between the previous day’s focus on dealing with the past and today’s focus on gaining perspective and vision for the future.
Then all of a sudden, there it was right in front of me! At the crest of the hill, the trail crossed an old fenceline, a relic of the huge ranch that become this State Natural Area. Those ancient cedar posts and rusty barbed wire would represent our transition.
We circled up, dropped our hats at our feet, and bowed our heads. We thanked God for giving us perspective on our past and for helping us to name and lay down some burdens we had been shouldering on our own, for giving us the grace to take up His yoke instead (Matthew 11:28-30).
The decision to step across the line
I encouraged the men to make a conscious decision before stepping over the downed fenceline:
- to leave behind the burdens they laid down the night before,
- and to step forward with eagerness into whatever God may have for them next.
Then right after crossing, we gained a wide open view of the valley below.
It was the same valley we had been camping in for two nights, but this was a different angle, a new perspective. We stood there for a while, looking out over the low lands, pointing out landmarks.
Psalm 16
All of a sudden, the Lord brought to mind Psalm 16, and I asked the guys if I could read it aloud. (They agreed ;-)
Context matters.
Like other “miktams of David,” this Psalm was written not in an easy time, but in a difficult, challenging one.
I have an image in my head of David writing this poem/song while hiding out in the En Gedi wilderness (see I Samuel 21-23), on the run because Saul wanted to kill him, looking out over the desert shrubs and canyons as he penned Psalm 16.
“Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge.”
David's opening line could be read as desperation or fear of what's to come, if it weren't for the rest of the Psalm.
My favorite part is verse 6:
“The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.”
I recalled that Summit staffer Leslie, who is a student of biblical Hebrew, once told me that the word “lines” in verse 6 likely means “property boundaries.” You can see this reflected in how many different versions translate it.
So, think about this:
David, who is supposed to be king of Israel, is currently being pursued by a crazed king with murderous intent and an army of trained soldiers, surviving in the desert, and hiding out in caves... yet:
In spite of circumstances, David says “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.”
Because David had confidence that God’s plans were higher than his own. This is clear by reading the rest of the Psalm.
This, for not just me, was a big moment of gaining perspective on where God has each of us, and what may lay ahead.
Sometimes we need to declare the Truth
Question: What kind of wilderness of life do you find yourself in?
Challenging circumstances at work?
Personal loneliness, anxiety?
Fear of what's happening in the world?
Tax season, anybody?!?
Does it feel more like a dry desert, dense jungle, or high above the treeline?
Remember, even walking in the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23), He is with you.
God is good. He sees you, and He knows what is ahead.
In spite of whatever circumstances you face, you can trust Him:
“8 I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.”
Declare it to yourself and to God!
Let Him walk beside you in it, just as David did.
What's your next step? Reply and let me know how I can help you!
See you out there,
Bryan Turner, Director & Guide
Bryan leads the Summit Outdoor Leadership team in facilitating outdoor ministry and experiential training events that prepare people for purpose through the 3 key elements of TRUTH, ADVENTURE, & LEADERSHIP.
About Biblical Wilderness courses
Ranging from short day-trips to week-long adventures, these trips create a pocket of wilderness in which you can build your comfort level with both authentic community and time alone with God.
Learn to practice the less-practiced spiritual disciplines: silence, solitude, scripture reading, and prayer -- while immersed in God's incredible Creation.
The specific course described in this email was a 4-day/3-night curriculum known as the Biblical Wilderness Intensive.
Each course looks a little different, tailored to location and the make-up of the group, but the overall framework is:
Day 1: “Entering Well” ← Arrival, training on wilderness skills, hike into a pocket of wilderness, explore the idea of true rest.
Day 2: “Gaining Perspective” ← Through time alone with God and in this new community, we spend time examining our past & present life. Build our comfort level with silence, solitude, scripture reading, and prayer.
Day 3: “Looking Forward” ← Transition to seeking God's insight and wisdom, asking for His vision of what's ahead.
Day 4: “Exiting Well” ← Focus on transferring learnings back into the "real world" through practical changes and next steps that can actually be implemented upon returning home.
We invite followers of Jesus and those seeking more to join Summit Outdoor Leadership on a Biblical Wilderness course.
