God, Where Are You?!
PUBLISHED BY MESSENGER INTERNATIONAL, INC.
610 South Santa Fe Ridge
Palmer Lake, CO 80133
MessengerInternational.org
Copyright 1992, 2002, 2005, 2015, 2019 by John P. Bevere. All rights reserved.
A previous version of this title was published in 1992 under the title Victory in the Wilderness . This updated version offers new and revised content from the author.
Printed in the United States of America.
ISBN 978-1-937558-19-2 (paperback edition)
ISBN 978-1-937558-20-8 (electronic edition)
LCCN: 92090341
Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NCV are taken from the New Century Version. Copyright 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked AMPC are taken from the Amplified Bible. Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NET are taken from the NET Bible. Copyright 19962006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked CSB are taken from the Christian Standard Bible. Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Scripture quotations marked TPT are from The Passion Translation. Copyright 2017, 2018 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com. Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version). Copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked GNB are taken from the Good News Bible 1994 published by the Bible Societies/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd UK, Good News Bible American Bible Society 1966, 1971, 1976, 1992. Used with permission. Scriptures marked KJV are taken from the KING JAMES VERSION (KJV): KING JAMES VERSION, public domain.
Except in quotations from the Amplified Bible , any italicization or words in brackets added to Scripture quotations are the authors additions for emphasis or clarity.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publishers. The only exception is brief quotations.
Edited by Bruce Nygren, Addison Bevere, Cory Emberson, and Laura Willbur.
Cover design by Allan Nygren.
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Foreword
For the Lord comforts Zion; He comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord ; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.
Isaiah 51:3 ESV
I love the book of Isaiahhes my favorite Old Testament prophet. In this particular passage, Isaiah uses imagery to assure us that God longs to transform our barren expanses into gardens of life. His words reveal that the arid soil of the desert wastelands is actually the catalyst of our remaking. The removal of all that was brings a revelation of what will be. Our Father brings us through this season of preparation so He can get us to our place of promise.
I had the honor of walking alongside my husband as we traversed deserts of disappointment, where the shifting sands of discouragement threatened to overwhelm us. I watched as he prayed, reasoned, and cried out, God, where are You?!
We stayed up late most nights wondering where wed gone wrong. Had there been a misstep or was there some mistake we could redeem?
Early each morning before sunrise, John would go out to listen and look for these answers... hoping that this day would be the one to bring clarity and a change of scenery. I would wait anxiously until he returned home. Our sons would be up when he returned.
Did you hear God say anything? Id whisper.
John would shake his head. A sadness would fill my heart and overshadow my hope.
Were we crazy? Had we even heard God? How could we have? If God had led us out to this place, why was He silent in the midst of our desolation?
Yes, I whined in the wilderness.
I only wish Id known then what I know now. I would have traveled the season with a lighter heart and a faith-filled step. I would have recognized that I was being refined and prepared.
In light of this, I feel this book is a guide and in many ways a gift. Embrace the lessons of this season, and they will serve you well in your next one.
Be encouragedyou are not alone.
Lisa Bevere New York Times best-selling author Co-founder of Messenger International
Introduction
This book tells of my journey to the wilderness, as well as similar visits of many others. I have not arrived, nor have I attained all that God would have for me, but it is my prayer that in these pages you will find the strength and courage to press on toward your destiny in God.
I do not claim that this is an exhaustive or all-inclusive study. There is much more that can be written. But this account is from my heart and covers the major aspects of a wilderness season. The intent of this book is to introduce this subject to you, making room for the Holy Spirit to personalize and apply this message to your life.
This book will discuss what the wilderness is and what it is not its purpose and benefits. It is my prayer that, by these examples, illustrations, and words of instruction, you will see how to walk wisely in the season of wilderness.
As you read, youll notice many of my personal examples occurred during my first two positions in ministry. The first was serving my pastor and his guests for four-and-a-half years in Dallas, Texas. My wilderness time came during the last eighteen months in this ministry position. The second occurred during my two-and-a-half years of being a youth pastor at a church in Florida. The wilderness I experienced in this position made the first desert season in Dallas seem like a picnic. Oddly enough, this intense desert also spanned the last eighteen months of that tenure.
Have there been other wilderness seasons in my life? Yes. But by the time they arrived, I had already come into a greater understanding of what they represented. So, consequently, I wasnt crying out repeatedly, God, whats going on? or God, where are You?! I had learned enough in the previous seasons to know what was happening and what was the appropriate response.
Ive talked with countless men and women who are in the midst of this season. In our conversations, I usually hear about confusion and frustration. So many are clueless as to whats going on. In fact, my wife, Lisa, and I did two podcasts on this subject recently, and the response to this topic was the greatest wed ever had. This caused me to relook at the first book I ever wrote, initially published as Victory in the Wilderness .
I wrote that book nearly thirty years ago. In carefully rereading it, I realized it was a prophetic message more appropriate for the late 1980s and early 1990s. So, my editor and I extracted the timeless truths, added numerous insights gleaned in the past thirty years, and did a complete rewrite. So this is not an updated and revised book, but rather a fresh, new message. I believe that the book youre holding is now a timeless message that will help peopleboth now and in the generations to comenavigate this important season.
