So I've been thinking about solitude again. Not methodically, but it's just been sort of at the forefront of my thought lately.
And I've realized that even some things we don't want are gifts from God. It's just not always that easy to see it. The fact is, he's a loving provider, and that grossly understates the matter. See, if you are seeking to follow him, he is constantly working to make you into who you were meant to be, at every single moment. He never takes a break from that, and everything is a gift. That's not to say you shouldn't ask to be brought out of desert places -- but if you seem to be stuck in one, know that he has your back.
And maybe it's a gift he wants you to accept for the moment. In other words, love him and trust him completely, that he will provide you what you need when you need it. He will not leave you stranded. To paraphrase a Psalm, wait on the Lord: trust him and trust that he not only will come through but is coming through even now when you can't see it.
Desert places can be just as much a time for growth as oases, although the Promised Land is destined to be lush beyond our dearest imaginings. Because the desert place is a place where we are forced to trust and to learn to love in a new and often deeper way, it's something to be thankful for even though we pray and wait for it to pass. It is not meant to be permanent, but it is not without its value. If you allow it to teach you its lesson, then your capacity to see the Promised Land for what it is will be yet greater than it might have been otherwise.
So look and see what the desert has to offer you -- how is the desert a servant of your faithful God? How can you see his hand even in the arid place? It can be seen, but don't worry if you can't quite see it. Just know, it is there beyond a shadow of a doubt. "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28, RSV)" Remember that you are called according to his purpose, and he will not fail to fulfill you and reward your trust in him.
It's not so much about loving hardship as it is about learning to love God even through hardship, to rest content in him. He wants to teach you to know his love in all situations, even those that are not according to what you would want. Especially those times when you keep waiting for something to change and nothing does ... those are times that you can find immeasurable depths of love and beauty, where you least expected it. Because through those you learn how unconditional his love is; how good he is in every single circumstance. You have recognized it in times of bounty, and in times of famine now you are given the incredible gift of seeing that he is still good, ever good -- his steadfast love never ceases. He never abandons you, even in hardship. Through even that hardship, he is giving to you with an incomprehensible love. He is with you; his grace is sufficient for you, for his power is made perfect in weakness. If we were not so weak, how could we understand his saving love the way we can?
You are loved, enough to be made into something more beautiful than you can imagine, than you even dreamed to ask for. And oddly enough, even those times of hardship, in a way especially them, are witnesses to that love. You are being purified with the most heartbreakingly tender yet unstoppably powerful love imaginable. This is the degree to which you are loved; and this love alone can make you worthy to receive it. Even now, it has made you worthy, and it is making you ever more worthy.
Know that the Lord is good: taste and see that he is good.
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