Don't Open That Door
Have you ever found yourself so engrossed with a show that you start yelling at the tv or is that just me? Let's say I'm watching a thriller and there is a group of people that are trapped by a psychopath trying to kill them. The group's leader has a plan for escape and it is a good plan and everyone is assigned their role to play to be able to successfully escape. Accept there is always that ONE person who when faced with the pressure of uncertainty goes their own way. Thus ruining the plan that would have allowed them to live. But instead, they chose to follow their own way and end up dead. As the viewer, we get to watch from a top-down view as the characters play their roles. It is always that one nitwit that wants to check out the random sound from a secret room that I find myself yelling at. From my vantage point, I can see what awaits them behind that closed door, and I'm screaming don't do it!
In the movie of my life, there have been many times where I was the nitwit that caved under the pressure of the uncertainty of not knowing how things will play out. My problem is that God who knows the end from the beginning has the plan. Seeing how He is God and I am not, God in His sovereignty chooses to not tell me the entire plan. Often times God will only tell me what I need to know in order to take the next step. Then He and all of heaven and hell wait to see what choice will I make. Will I stick with the plan that He has revealed through the Word of God and prayer? Or will I choose to investigate the random disturbance that I think may lead me out of my dilemma?
The Plan
Going back to the Bible we read of the journey of the children of Israel out of Egypt in the book of Exodus. There is an interesting truth nugget tucked into Exodus 13:17. "Then it came to pass when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt". I have lived long enough now to know that I have been no better than the Egyptian Israelites many times in my life. The Lord brought me through trials to prepare me for His promises. At those times in my life, I can see how God was using the trials to strengthen me in the faith. However, there is always some kind of opportunity to abandon the unseen plan. Many times I tried to take the easy path because I don't like pain. Sometimes the Lord blocked me for my own good, but other times I suffered the consequences of going my own way. 
Once someone accepts Christ as Lord and Savior the process of maturing begins. A simple way of understanding it is that God has to start the process of getting Egypt out of us. If God gave us the easy path of glory in Christ Jesus we would fail. Because we have a strong enemy that will fight and try to derail God's plan for our lives. Satan is not going to let people just ooh and awe over your life and give praises to God, as much as I wish he would. No, our lives become living reminders and glory receptacles of the power of God when the unsaved look on us. Because God's plan is to put on the full display of the kingdom of heaven in your life. Our part of that plan (purpose) is to display the glory of God and make disciples of all men. Therefore the wilderness journey is something we all have to go through. It is designed to prepare us for a life of faith. In order to make it out, we first need to trust God and stick to the plan even when we can't see it.
He Is Always Working
Both of those elements, trusting God and following His commands require faith. What is faith? "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony"(Hebrews 11:1-2). An easy way of understanding the concept of faith is trust. Trust that the same God who delivered you before can do it again. Trust that God loves you and because He loves you He will make a way like waters flowing from a rock. That trust in God is not built upon an easy path, it can only be done in the Wilderness way. The good news is that when that reservoir of faith is built up in you and you start consistently choosing God's way over your own way. God will start to lead you out of the Wilderness because now you are ready. Now you are a good soldier prepared for the fight of conquering the promise land.
I'm going to leave you with a portion of Deuteronomy 8. When you get a chance I highly encourage you to read the whole chapter. Because one day after you have passed your tests the Lord your God will anoint you and be with you as you enter the land of promise.
"And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you" (Deuteronomy 8;2-5).
