Hot, dry, thorns, briers, dust-storms, wasteland, parched, forsaken… 
The Desert
Does anything good happen in the desert?
According to the Old Testament, the desert was for wandering, wars and wearisome work!
And there were MANY deserts: Sinai, Judah, Damascus, Edom, Maon, Zin, Ziph, EnGedi… It seems like God used deserts to teach lessons, and when the lesson needed to be retaught, He re-used the desert.
What is it about the desert that would make good teaching grounds?
There are no deserts in the US like one would find in Africa or the Middle East, but there are dry and dusty lands that you need to travel over 40 miles for the closest water source. Hiking through hot, dry, rocks, dirt, dirt and more dirt. It would be an eerie environment: very quiet. The air dry, with little to look at, and though there are cliffs and mounts, there is nothing green. The few birds you see circle high (you know they are just waiting for you to collapse). The desert gives nothing. The desert takes all comfort and replaces it with irritation. The desert takes all of your strength to endure.
Hmmm…
No distractions, a sense of hopelessness, a physical thirst, a desire for relief, a need to depend on something other than yourself… The perfect teaching grounds!
The cool thing about the desert is that God was ALWAYS waiting for His people in the desert. He never sent someone out for a desert lesson without walking with them, or meeting them there. God showed Himself and His power most often in a desert situation. And once God was seen, worshipped, given priority often a blessing followed: Food was provided, water was found, a battle was won, a person was healed, hearts and eyes were opened, etc.
Here’s another really cool thing about the desert… in the darkest moments, in the middle of the night, it comes to life! Animals abound, little blossoms bloom, the moon sends a comforting glow and the oppressive heat is replaced with chilly breezes.
Do you feel like you’re in the middle of a desert? A dry, thorny, forsaken place? Be assured that God is there. And if it seems very dark and bleak, take a breath and know that life is all around you.
God has promised that He will never leave or forsake those who belong to Him. (Hebrews 13:5) In Isaiah 35 (a promise yet to come, but it IS COMING!): The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. …they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. (NIV)
A promise from Isaiah 44: God who made you, has something to say to you; the God who formed you in the womb wants to help you. Don’t be afraid… For I will pour water on the thirsty ground, and send streams coursing through the parched earth… This one will say, ‘I am God’s,’… (MSG)
God loves you, He has not forgotten you: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.