The Path to Worshipping in the Wilderness...Promises from the Wilderness #11

I wonder if the wastelands burst into bloom when the entire congregation of Israel gathered at the foot of Mount Horeb and the Lord descended to speak with them? Were they surrounded with the response of the earth to His life giving Presence...as even the evil queen's dwarf declared in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe  "spring has arrived because Aslan has returned"? Could this picture have inspired these words: "The wilderness will rejoice and blossom..." Isaiah 35:1?

As I have been looking for verses of promise for this series, typing the word " wilderness" in the internet search engines...one theme keeps coming forward...

The wilderness is for worship...

The biggest, bravest, most memorable wilderness journey ever began with a request for worship:

Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, 

“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 

‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ 

Exodus 5:1

 and

...they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. 

Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness 

to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God...”

Exodus 5:3

Festivals and sacrifices - these are the foundational makings of the great Feasts of the Lord
that He gave His people in order that they may find their ultimate rest in the Presence of one person, Jesus Christ.

In the final test of Jesus' personal wilderness experience, He summed up the total purpose of the Spirit's leadings and satan's testing in these words:

 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 

‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’

Matthew 4:10

Indeed, the path through the wilderness will refine our worship, and the way to "make it through" is to remember the great things He has done on our behalf"...