The Wilderness

        I recently read about Sydney Cox, an interesting, but little known man, who was born in England in 1887.  When he was nineteen he emigrated to Canada and he never saw his parents again.  But the next year he found Christ as his Savior and soon began serving the Lord.  In 1915 he married a Salvation Army coworker, Violet Henderson, and for the rest of their lives they served the Lord together.

          Now Sydney passed away in 1975 and probably, like me, you've never heard of him.  But you probably grew up singing some of the 200 or more Sunday School songs that he wrote, like "Deep and Wide", "I Love Him Better Every Day",  and "My Lord Knows The Way Through the Wilderness." All three of these were part of my youth, but the last chorus has recently come back to my mind quite often since I recently heard it on the radio once again.

         Now what is a wilderness?  I  spent some time on the internet answering this question.  Definitions included "an uncultivated, uninhabited, and inhospitable region."  Others said "an empty or pathless area or region, a bewildering situation, barren, or a desert."  

          We might also picture it from Bible stories we have read.  Corresponding to the 40 days that the spies toured the land, God decreed that the Israelites would wander in the wilderness for 40 years as a result of their unwillingness to take the land.  And of course, Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  Words translated as "wilderness" occur nearly 300 times in the Bible.

          Now in terms of our life today, I like the definitions that a wilderness is a bewildering situation or a barren time.  So, in fact, maybe we can describe our lives today as being in a wilderness.

          Think about it - we have never experienced anything like this.  We are restricted and can't do the things we used to do and enjoy.  We can''t be with friends and family.  We must be concerned about the virus (the wild animals) catching us.  We are suddenly concerned about jobs, savings, money, food, ... and even toilet paper.  With this isolation life can seem bewildering and barren and at times without much hope.  It's almost like we are in a wilderness.

           If that is the case in your life, then maybe this chorus by Cox can bring hope to you once again.  It might not have meant too much to you when you sang it years ago as a child, but stop and think about the words.

My Lord knows the way through the wilderness,

All I have to do is follow.

My Lord knows the way through the wilderness,

All I have to do is follow.

Strength for today is mine all the way,

And all that I need for tomorrow.

My Lord knows the way through the wilderness

All I have to do is follow.

            Yes, the Lord does know the way through our isolation and worries. Nobody else does no matter what they may say.  Only the Lord knows the present and the future and what lies ahead.  And He has promised never to leave us.   And all we need to do is to trust Him and follow Him.  He will provide the strength we need to get through this wilderness.

          Maybe you will join me this week singing this old chorus when the dangers and unknowns of this wilderness begin to overwhelm you.

          Just in case you have never heard this chorus or have forgotten it, here is a link for you to listen to it.     WILDERNESS