People interpret wilderness seasons first as a bad thing before they ever consider it is good.

I think because the word generally connotes aloneness, seclusion and sometimes deprivation of what you’d always enjoy. There is a tendency that we read “red flag” as soon as such seasons appear near us.

It’s funny because wilderness seasons were more positive in the bible than negative. They were characterised of preparatory season in the case of John the Baptist, to launch out preparing the way for the coming Messiah, redirection season for Jacob after he had left Laban thinking what to do next, and then seasons of prayer and fasting in the case of Jesus who was alone for 40 days and nights.

These were all good things; to recharge, refocus and refire.

If we don’t remove the negative sentiments we have around “wilderness seasons”, we’ll panic each time we sense one of such seasons approaching, meanwhile it should be that we prepare and embrace them because they often are preparation for launch in a new dimension.

We should normalise these seasons of getting alone with God, not just when there’s a reason to seek His counsel on an issue, much more when there’s no reason, but a deep desire and yearning for Him.

People often don’t have the latter which is why sometimes those wilderness seasons come, to still get us back to that secret place. One of my favourite Teachers will say, “there are dimensions of God that are not revealed corporately”. Only in those wilderness seasons are we quiet enough to see and experience them.

Enjoy that wilderness should you be there now.