We read about wilderness times often in scripture.We have been following Moses and the ancient Israelites and their journey inthe wilderness.   The Book of Mormon prophet Lehi and his familyspent some considerable time in the wilderness. The saints of the early restoration did their fair share of traveling inthe wilderness, even Jesus Christ had His time in the wilderness.  The wilderness symbolically represents aplace of testing, preparation and refinement. The wilderness also happens to be where God manifests Himself to Hischildren.  One of my favorite quotesabout the early saints coming across the plains is from Francis Webster a memberof the Martin Handcart Company. 

“We suffered beyond anything you can imagine,and many died of exposure and starvation, but did you ever hear a survivor ofthat company utter a word of criticism? Not one of that company everapostatized or left the Church because every one of us came through with theabsolute knowledge that God lives, for we became acquainted with Him in ourextremities.  The price we paid to becomeacquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and I am thankful that I wasprivileged to come in the Martin handcart company.”

What price are we willing to pay to become acquaintedwith God? 

How will we let the wilderness times in our lives shape ourstories? For us the wilderness might not look like an extended period of time travelingin a desert or across the plains.  For us,it may be that feeling we get at 2:00 AM when the house is quiet and ourworries are loud.  Maybe our wildernessis the exhausting cycle of a job that feels empty, or without a lot of future.  Maybe it's the silence of a house that usedto be full, or the noise of doubts that are wearing you down. If you feel likeyou’re wandering in the wilderness, I want you to hear this clearly: You arein very good company.

God didn't lead Moses or the Pioneers into the desert tolose them; He led them there because that is where they would find Him.  He led them there so that the only voice theycould hear would be His.  The wildernessbecame the best place to forge a covenant relationship with them. 

The book of Numbers teaches us about theimportance of our focus-and the consequences that come when our focus shiftssolely to our trials instead of staying where it should be, which is, ofcourse, on God!

In Hebrew the title for Numbers is Bamidbar-whichmeans “in the wilderness”.  We all havewilderness times.  In reality most ofmortality is lived in the wilderness.  Weget some reprieve when we visit holy places like the temple or the mountains,or even when we experience holy times making memories with our family andfriends.  But our day to day lives aremostly lived in the wilderness-which is why our focus becomes critical.