“Anyone who sits on top of the largest hydrogen-oxygen fueled system in the world, knowing they’re going to light the bottom – and doesn’t get a little worried – does not
fully understand the situation.”
John Young, Astronaut on the first Space Station
I was 21 years old the day the Space Shuttle, Challenger, blew up. Though it was played out on the national stage, I had a closer vantage point.
I was watching the launch on a big screen at Rockwell International, where I had been working. We were all excited because Rockwell was responsible for constructing such an incredible spacecraft.
Everyone was in shock and in complete disbelief when we saw the shuttle disintegrate, leading to the deaths of seven astronauts. You could have heard a pin drop in our huge office.
After many years of investigations they found that a faulty O-ring seal was the culprit in this terrible accident.
The structure could not withstand take off, due to this small damaged part on the shuttle.
This story is so similar in the lives of many famous people. They rise to stardom so quickly and then crash and burn just as fast, and we all wonder why.
The Wilderness plays a critical role in navigating the turbulence of God’s call on our life.
It is a hell-shaking turbulent ride, but God is in it!
If we are not properly prepared for what God has called us to do alongside of Him, then we cannot handle the success that is coming. We will implode and leave a trail of debris such a broken marriage, financial trouble, or wayward kids.
The Wilderness is about shoring up those areas in our life so when we strap in for take off, only those things that are supposed to be shaken off will be shaken off.
The shuttle takes off at 17,000 miles per hour and it feels like all hell is breaking loose, and that is exactly what is happening…
…all hell is breaking loose…from our lives.
The things that remain are necessary and will sustain us through to the next level God is bringing us into.
After it pierces the atmosphere, the shaking stops and there is a weightlessness that happens.
It’s incredible!
The shuttle is still going 17,000 miles per hour, only now there is a feeling of floating instead of the fear of hanging on for dear life.
Today, as you travel through the Wilderness, know that the Lord is strengthening those things in your life, even those intricately small things.
The reason?
He wants you to make it through take off!
God wants you to go beyond the atmosphere, to have an impact at work, in your relationships, and ultimately the world!
Today, instead of an attitude of trudging through the Wilderness, THANK God for taking the time to see you make it to your breakthrough without breaking up on take off.
“At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised,
‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’ The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be THANKFUL,
and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”
Hebrews 12:26-29 (NIV)
One fateful decision landed me smack in the middle of my own Wilderness…
Though I was obeying God’s voice, I spent the next several years “walking on water,” even though it felt more like I was treading water. A Journey Out of the Wilderness is for people going through a rough time—a Wilderness experience—where you feel as though you are “down for the count” and ready to give up. Wilderness Wanderers feel as though they are doing laps around the mountain, passing the same tree over and over again wondering, “Will this never end?” However, being in the Wilderness will be one of the most transformational times of your life.