How do we respond in the Wilderness?

As I read God's Word now, I read it from a different perspective, and prayerfully ask the Spirit of God to open up my eyes. It has been amazing, and heart wrenching at the same time. When you go through seminary (not that I am speaking from my own experience :), they teach you that there are two ways we look at God's Word, isogesis and exogesis. Isogesis is where we have our own thoughts, emotions, and perspective and then we search for the scriptures or read through it to back up what we think or feel. Exogesis is simply reading through the Bible for exactly what it says. Exogesis is the correct way to read through God's Word. Of course, we know that we can't just read it to gain understanding. We need the Spirit of God to illuminate our hearts and our own understanding. John 6:63 says," It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." God's Word is life. And we must be prayerful when we read it, and have a willing heart to allow the Spirit of God to point out the lies, the blind spots, if you will, of our faith.
And our faith will get tested when we enter the wilderness season in our lives. If you find yourself in the "wilderness" right now, I encourage you to read through Hebrews to see the importance of how we respond in the wilderness. It became very clear for me a while back that my response in the wilderness times of my life had been very wrong. And it was the "wilderness" that revealed what was really in my heart. Read these scripture verses for what they say about the wilderness. Hebrews 3:8 says," Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, (remember the Israelites and their rebellion in the wilderness?) as in the day of testing in the wilderness."
Hebrews 3:17," And with whom was He provoked for forty years (again referring to the Israelites in the wilderness)? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness."
I Corinthians 10:5, " Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness."

My heart is SO saddened for those who find themselves in a difficult time of life (the wilderness) and they become bitter and angry. They can't forgive, they can't move forward, and they are angry with God, and some even lose their faith in God. Some may say," You don't understand!" I might not, there are plenty of things that people have gone through that I have not. Yet Christ does. I do not believe that God brings the bad things upon us. Yet I do believe He allows things to happen so that we can see our hearts and know where we are in our faith. Just read through the book of Job. Do you know what God said about Job? Job 1:8 says "There is none like him on earth." Wow! What a compliment coming from the Maker of the universe!! And look at all that happened to him in 1 day!!! And how did he respond? How did his friends respond? Did God bring the calamity upon him? No, but did He allow it? Yes. Why? So Job could see his own human frailty and his desperate need for God. But when we allow our hearts to be hardened in the wilderness, or our faith is overthrown, we find ourselves in a desolate and lonely place. Please allow your hearts to be softened. Seek His face, for who He is, and not His hand, and what He can do for you. We will all find ourselves in the wilderness. Run to the Lord. Please do not run away from Him. Please read the book of Job and Hebrews. Cry out to the Lord and ask Him to change you and sustain you!!!

Father, help us to run to You and cling to Your Word in all seasons of life. May our faith grow and not be weakened in our painful and desperate times of life. May we always look to You, the author and finisher of our faith. I cry out to You oh God! Deliver those whose hearts have been hardened, strengthen those who have fallen! Have mercy oh Lord on us!