In the Old Testament when God led the Children of Israel through the wilderness, He didn’t just have them wandering around for no reason. They had some learning and growing to do before they were ready for the Promised Land that God was giving to them.
I’ve heard this before but I’ve recently heard it again: the Israelites saw miracles in the wilderness that they didn’t see anywhere else. They saw God’s glory and provision in the wilderness in ways they didn’t see in the Promised Land. While you and I are not the Israelites, we can draw parallels between experiences. There are things you get to know about God in life’s wildernesses that you won’t get to see anywhere else. There are things God has for you to pick up and have to take with you to your Promised Land.
God has a lot of good things for us in the wilderness. The wilderness itself might be barren, but the experience doesn’t have to be. God doesn’t waste the wildernesses in your life.