Desert experiences are one of the hardest things about life and extremely difficult to navigate through. In fact, when we are in a desert experience, the only thing that many of us think about is how to get out of it – quickly and with as few scars as possible.
In part one, I described the rationale behind desert or isolation experiences in ministry. Click here to read about it.
In part two, I described the different types of desert experiences that one might experience in ministry. Click here to read about it.
Today, I’m going to explore why moving out of a desert experience prematurely is one of the worst decisions that you can do.
The whole process of moving back to Canada in 2010, after pastoring in Korea, was a defining desert experience in my life. We were displaced and without a home, ministry position, income, etc for about 5 months. Upon arriving back in Canada, the first thing I wanted to do was get a job and start providing again for my wife and newborn, but God had other plans. In fact, out of all the resumes that I handed out, absolutely no one called me back for the first couple of months. It was hard at the time, but in hindsight, I can see how God wanted to keep me in that desert experience.
[Read more…] about Your Desert Experience in Ministry – Part 3/4