THE GOD WHO ANSWERS IN THE WILDERNESS

THE GOD WHO ANSWERS IN THE WILDERNESS

By Rev. Samuel Arimoro

Main Text: Exodus 3:1-12

Supporting Texts: Isaiah 43:19, Hosea 2:14-15, Deuteronomy 8:2-4, Psalm 107:4-7, Matthew 4:1-11

INTRODUCTION:
The wilderness represents a place of isolation, dryness, hardship, and testing. Yet, throughout Scripture, it is also the place where God speaks, shapes destinies, and reveals His power. Many of God's greatest encounters with His people took place not in palaces, but in the wilderness.

The wilderness may be a season in life where nothing seems to be working, where you're far from comfort, and where resources seem scarce. But that is often where God chooses to show up — to reveal His purpose, to test faith, and to show Himself strong on behalf of His people.

God doesn't abandon His children in the wilderness. Instead, He meets them there, speaks to them, provides for them, and leads them out stronger than before. When God answers in the wilderness, transformation begins.

1. GOD USES THE WILDERNESS TO GET OUR ATTENTION

a) Divine Encounters Happen in Isolation
God often pulls people away from distractions to speak with them clearly (Exodus 3:1-4).

b) The Wilderness Exposes Our Weakness
It humbles us and brings us to a place where we see our need for God (Deuteronomy 8:2).

c) He Speaks Through Unlikely Means
Moses saw a burning bush – a strange sight that drew him closer (Exodus 3:2-3).

d) God Sets the Stage for Destiny in the Wilderness
It is often in the wilderness that He commissions people for greater assignments (Exodus 3:10).

Biblical Example: Moses encountered God in the wilderness of Horeb and was called to deliver Israel.

2. GOD PROVIDES EVEN IN THE WILDERNESS

a) Provision May Not Be Conventional, But It Is Consistent
God provided manna and water to sustain the Israelites (Exodus 16:35; Exodus 17:6).

b) He Knows What You Need Before You Ask
He provided water at Marah, Elim, and from the rock when the people thirsted (Exodus 15:23-25).

c) Your Shoes and Clothes Will Not Wear Out
God preserves you even when you don’t realise it (Deuteronomy 8:4).

d) He Leads Step by Step
He guides His people by cloud and fire, providing direction in every phase (Exodus 13:21-22).

Biblical Example: God fed the Israelites with manna and quail for forty years in the wilderness.

3. GOD TEACHES DEPENDENCE IN THE WILDERNESS

a) He Trains You to Trust in His Voice
You learn to depend on His leading when you have nothing else (Deuteronomy 8:3).

b) He Removes the Idols of Self and Pride
The wilderness strips us of things we used to depend on and redirects our hearts to Him.

c) He Humbles and Tests for Future Promotion
The process prepares you for the promised land (Deuteronomy 8:16).

d) The Wilderness Is a Training Ground, Not a Final Destination
It is a passing season intended to refine, not destroy.

Biblical Example: Jesus was led into the wilderness and overcame the devil with the Word (Matthew 4:1-11).

4. GOD BRINGS HOPE OUT OF THE WILDERNESS

a) He Makes Rivers in the Desert
Where there is dryness, He brings life and fruitfulness (Isaiah 43:19).

b) He Turns the Wilderness into a Place of Worship
In Hosea 2:14-15, He allures His people into the wilderness and speaks tenderly to them.

c) Your Greatest Song Can Come from the Wilderness
The psalmist recounts deliverance and joy after wandering (Psalm 107:4-7).

d) God Turns Trouble Into Testimony
The valley of trouble becomes a door of hope (Hosea 2:15).

Biblical Example: John the Baptist prepared the way of the Lord in the wilderness, fulfilling prophecy (Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:1-3).

CONCLUSION:
The wilderness is not the end of your story. It is the place where God refines, speaks, trains, and provides. If you're in a wilderness season, know that you are not forgotten — God answers in the wilderness.

Let your heart be still, your ears open, and your faith strong. The same God who met Moses, fed Israel, and strengthened Jesus in the wilderness will visit you, speak to you, and bring you out with a mighty hand.

PRAYER POINTS:
1. Lord, open my ears to hear You clearly in the wilderness.
2. Father, provide for me supernaturally in every dry season of life.
3. Let every wilderness season in my life lead to divine promotion.
4. Strip me of every pride and self-dependence, O Lord.
5. Turn my trouble into testimony, Lord.
6. Open rivers in every desert of my life.
7. Lead me with Your cloud by day and fire by night.
8. Deliver me from murmuring and strengthen my trust in You.
9. Let my wilderness become a place of worship and revelation.
10. Bring me out of the wilderness with songs of joy and victory.

PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS:
1. You will hear God clearly in the wilderness season of your life!
2. The Lord will provide for you in strange and supernatural ways!
3. Your wilderness shall lead to your elevation!
4. You will not be stranded in life’s dry places!
5. Divine direction is locating you now in Jesus’ name!
6. You will not perish in the wilderness — you are coming out stronger!
7. The God who speaks in the desert will answer you speedily!
8. Your season of dryness is turning into a season of fruitfulness!
9. Every burden in your wilderness journey is lifted now!
10. Your wilderness shall become a place of divine encounter!