Does it seem that as hard as you pray, God doesn't seem to be listening? It may seem like everyone around you is being blest but you are left out. You tithe and examine yourself for sin but your circumstances get worse. If you are truly being honest and have asked God to cleanse and forgive you and still don't seem to be making any headway, REJOICE. Your heart may be heavy. Scripture may be hard to read and music sound like a dull gong but still, REJOICE. I have some good news for you. God is not mad at you and He has never left you.

Consider this. God sent Moses to Pharoah to free His chosen people. He performed some of the greatest miracles this world had ever seen and led them forth behind the cloud of His glory. Could anyone ever be so sure of walking in the path God had chosen for them? The cloud was there by day and the pillar of fire by night. God's favor was shinning on them. They were richer than they could ever have imagined. And ... He led them into the wilderness...

Jesus had come to start His public ministry. John showed Him great honor before all of those present saying Jesus should be baptising him and not the other way around. Jesus went into the water and as soon as He came out, Heaven opened. John saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said ,"This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased." The very next verse tells us,"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted of the devil..." (Matt. 4:1)

I believe everyone will have a chance to go into the wilderness. It is a natural part of the process God uses to mature His people. How we respond to it determines what kind of walk we will have in God. You see, the same wilderness that revealed the Israelites' hearts and caused them to die, strengthened their children to rely on God and take the Promised Land. It's a time when it seems like the promises God has made to us look like they will never be fulfilled. At that time faith may even seem to be too big a word for us and we have to fall back on simply trusting God. But if you do, God is faithful. He will bring you out.

(Luke 12:32 it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.)

If you read the Song of Solomon, you find a group of women called the Daughters of Jerusalem. They belonged to the kingdom and knew the King. "We rejoice and delight in You; we will praise your love more than wine." (Song of Sol. 1:4) I believe these women represent the "saved" in the Kingdom of God. They are beautiful. They know God and rejoice in what they know. There is another woman who doesn't seem to have been as fortunate as they. She is the Shulamite. Her skin is darkened by the desert. Her way hasn't been easy and she has spent most of her time serving others. If you compared the two, you would say the Daughters of Jerusalem were blest and the Shulamite was an outcast. With external eyes, we may wonder if there was sin in her life....she must be missing God.

But, in the desert, she has turned her eyes to the King and endeavored to know Him. "Tell me, you whom I love, where you graze your flock and where you rest your sheep at midday." (v.7)  God never sees us as the world does. He is the Lover of our hearts and meets with us in the secret places when no one else sees. He is looking for His bride and He wants to know her intimately. "Who is this coming up from the desert leaning on her lover?"(v. 8:5)  She is the one who kept the faith when it looked like she would never be accepted and she learned to know Him in a way the others didn't.

Be encouraged today. You may be going through some extremely hard times but Jesus promised in Heb.13:5 "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." And also, "1Cor.10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." One meaning of the word temptation is "a putting to proof". Today, we would probably use the word test. You may think He isn't hearing your prayers but, He is. Trust in Him and the promises He has made to you. He sees the end from the beginning and He wants His best for you.