What God Told Me in the Wilderness

A beautiful sunset on our last day of camping

When I am exploring the wilderness and experiencing creation, I meet God. It is inevitable;  when I'm given the opportunity to get away from the conveniences  and comfort of home, technology, buildings and society and escape to places of natural beauty, I cannot help but see God's character demonstrated in the stars of the sky, the colors of the leaves, and the pristine beauty of His creation.

And in the wilderness, I am no longer distracted by the noise of everyday life. I can more easily listen to God, and in the peace and quiet of the forest, I hear God's still, small whisper.

Last week, we ventured into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area for a 4-day, 3-night canoe and camping trip. For 3 days, we explored lakes without seeing another person. Each night, the stars were bright and beautiful. And I was overwhelmed by the bigness of God's creation. The Boundary Waters alone are over 1,000,000 acres of natural forests, rivers and lakes! And God crafted this area just as precisely as he designed the deserts, oceans, lakes, rivers and mountains all over the earth. God is so big - so much bigger than all of this, even the vast creation that we experience when we venture into the wilderness.

This wilderness experience was a good reminder for me. God is so big and great; He is above all of His creation. He is the beginning and the end. So, why is it that I spend so much time worrying? Why is it that I expend emotional effort concerned about the financial support we need to raise and the preparations we need to complete before heading to Austria?

Isn't God so much bigger than all of that?
If He created the world, how much more can he handle our fears, concerns and challenges?

In the wilderness, God reminded me that He is big. He reminded me that He has all of this under control. Not only did He create the heavens and the earth, but He also directs and guides our lives and meets our needs.  I have nothing to fear.