May 17th, 2026
by Stacy Long
by Stacy Long
Embracing the Wilderness: A Season of Deepening Trust
Life has a way of leading us into unexpected transitions. Sometimes these seasons feel like wandering through a wilderness—uncertain terrain where the familiar landmarks have disappeared and the path ahead remains unclear. Yet what if these wilderness seasons aren't meant to diminish us, but to deepen us?
Throughout Scripture, the wilderness represents far more than geographical desolation. It's a sacred space of transformation, a classroom where God teaches His people profound lessons about trust, identity, and relationship. The Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land was supposed to take mere months, but their resistance to God's lessons extended it to forty years. Their story serves as both warning and invitation: How we respond to wilderness seasons determines how long we remain in them.
The Purpose of Wilderness
The wilderness was never designed as punishment. Instead, it serves multiple redemptive purposes:
A time of deepening trust and relationship. When external securities fall away, we discover whether our foundation rests on circumstances or on God Himself. The wilderness strips away our self-sufficiency and invites us into radical dependence.
A transition from one thing to something better. God doesn't lead us into wilderness to abandon us there. He's moving us from where we are to where He wants us to be—and that destination is always better than our current location, even when we can't see it yet.
A shift in mindset and identity. The Israelites had to stop thinking like slaves and start thinking like free people. They had to release their nostalgia for Egyptian onions and leeks and develop an appetite for the Promised Land. Similarly, our wilderness seasons challenge us to shed old identities and embrace new ones that align with God's calling.
A season of testing. This isn't arbitrary examination, but purposeful refinement. God tests us not to watch us fail, but to reveal what's truly in our hearts and to strengthen our character.
The question facing us in any wilderness season is simple yet profound: Will we move with the pillar of cloud and fire, or will we stay in our comfortable tents? Will we trust God's leading, or will we grumble and complain like the Israelites? Our attitude determines our experience.
The Brain Science of Joy
Recent neuroscience has uncovered something remarkable: our brains literally run on joy. Like fuel in a car, when we run out of joy, we get stuck in unhealthy patterns that prevent healing, learning, and growth.
But this isn't the fleeting happiness of acquiring new possessions. The joy our brains need is relational joy—what researchers define as "glad-to-be-togetherness." We experience this when we're in the presence of someone who is genuinely happy to be with us.
Consider a baby's smile. When we smile at an infant, they experience joy because they recognize we're glad to be with them. When they smile back, we experience joy because we recognize they're happy to be with us. In that simple exchange, both parties receive a powerful cocktail of dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins—bonding chemicals that reduce stress, activate reward centers, and foster deep emotional attachment.
This biological reality points to a spiritual truth: God has existed eternally as Father, Son, and Spirit in perfect, joyful relationship. Unlike a solitary deity who existed alone for eternity, the triune God has always been communal, relational, and filled with joy. When Scripture declares that "the joy of the Lord is your strength," it's inviting us into that eternal glad-to-be-togetherness.
The Relational Switch
Here's where things get practical and challenging: we all have a relational switch that can turn on or off. When it's on, we remain connected, empathetic, and engaged. When it's off, we shift into what researchers call "enemy mode"—treating people as problems to solve rather than persons to love.
You can assess whether your relational switch is on using the acronym CAKE:
Curiosity - Do you genuinely want to know what others are thinking and feeling?
Appreciation - Can you feel gratitude in your thoughts and body for people and moments you enjoy?
Kindness - Do you stay tenderhearted toward others, especially during disagreements?
Eye contact - Are you willing to make genuine eye contact with people?
When our relational switch flips off, we avoid eye contact, fixate on what annoys us, prioritize winning over connecting, and treat people as obstacles rather than image-bearers of God.
Staying Relational with God
While we understand that our relational switch can turn off toward people, we often miss that it can also turn off toward God. When we're bitter, disappointed, or angry at Him, we lose our curiosity about His perspective. We stop feeling grateful. We harbor resentment instead of kindness. We avoid His presence rather than seeking His face.
The tragedy is that God never turns His relational switch off toward us. Even when He disciplines, He does so in relational mode—not out of vengeance, but out of steadfast love and compassion. As Lamentations 3:31-33 reminds us, "For the Lord will not cast off forever, but though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love, for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men."
God remains relationally available even when we're not. His switch stays on. The problem is that when our switch is off, we can't receive His peace, feel His joy, or hear His voice—not because He's withholding, but because our receiver is disconnected.
Turning the Switch Back On
So how do we turn our relational switch back on, both with people and with God?
The answer appears throughout Scripture: gratitude, thanksgiving, and remembering the good.
Psalm 77:11-12 models this: "I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds."
Psalm 100:4 instructs: "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!"
Even Jesus taught us to begin prayer with praise: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name."
This isn't religious ritual—it's neurological wisdom. Gratitude literally rewires our brains, flipping our relational switch back on so we can engage, receive, and connect.
The Path Forward
As we navigate wilderness seasons—whether personal transitions, communal changes, or spiritual testing—we face a choice. Will we grumble and complain, extending our wilderness wandering? Or will we cultivate gratitude, maintain relational connection, and trust God's leading toward something better?
The wilderness doesn't have to be miserable. With the right attitude and deepening trust, it can become an exciting adventure where we grow, heal, and discover God's faithfulness in fresh ways.
The pillar of cloud and fire is moving. The question is: Will we move with it?
(This blog was created from Stacy Long's original sermon using pulpit.ai)
Life has a way of leading us into unexpected transitions. Sometimes these seasons feel like wandering through a wilderness—uncertain terrain where the familiar landmarks have disappeared and the path ahead remains unclear. Yet what if these wilderness seasons aren't meant to diminish us, but to deepen us?
Throughout Scripture, the wilderness represents far more than geographical desolation. It's a sacred space of transformation, a classroom where God teaches His people profound lessons about trust, identity, and relationship. The Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land was supposed to take mere months, but their resistance to God's lessons extended it to forty years. Their story serves as both warning and invitation: How we respond to wilderness seasons determines how long we remain in them.
The Purpose of Wilderness
The wilderness was never designed as punishment. Instead, it serves multiple redemptive purposes:
A time of deepening trust and relationship. When external securities fall away, we discover whether our foundation rests on circumstances or on God Himself. The wilderness strips away our self-sufficiency and invites us into radical dependence.
A transition from one thing to something better. God doesn't lead us into wilderness to abandon us there. He's moving us from where we are to where He wants us to be—and that destination is always better than our current location, even when we can't see it yet.
A shift in mindset and identity. The Israelites had to stop thinking like slaves and start thinking like free people. They had to release their nostalgia for Egyptian onions and leeks and develop an appetite for the Promised Land. Similarly, our wilderness seasons challenge us to shed old identities and embrace new ones that align with God's calling.
A season of testing. This isn't arbitrary examination, but purposeful refinement. God tests us not to watch us fail, but to reveal what's truly in our hearts and to strengthen our character.
The question facing us in any wilderness season is simple yet profound: Will we move with the pillar of cloud and fire, or will we stay in our comfortable tents? Will we trust God's leading, or will we grumble and complain like the Israelites? Our attitude determines our experience.
The Brain Science of Joy
Recent neuroscience has uncovered something remarkable: our brains literally run on joy. Like fuel in a car, when we run out of joy, we get stuck in unhealthy patterns that prevent healing, learning, and growth.
But this isn't the fleeting happiness of acquiring new possessions. The joy our brains need is relational joy—what researchers define as "glad-to-be-togetherness." We experience this when we're in the presence of someone who is genuinely happy to be with us.
Consider a baby's smile. When we smile at an infant, they experience joy because they recognize we're glad to be with them. When they smile back, we experience joy because we recognize they're happy to be with us. In that simple exchange, both parties receive a powerful cocktail of dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins—bonding chemicals that reduce stress, activate reward centers, and foster deep emotional attachment.
This biological reality points to a spiritual truth: God has existed eternally as Father, Son, and Spirit in perfect, joyful relationship. Unlike a solitary deity who existed alone for eternity, the triune God has always been communal, relational, and filled with joy. When Scripture declares that "the joy of the Lord is your strength," it's inviting us into that eternal glad-to-be-togetherness.
The Relational Switch
Here's where things get practical and challenging: we all have a relational switch that can turn on or off. When it's on, we remain connected, empathetic, and engaged. When it's off, we shift into what researchers call "enemy mode"—treating people as problems to solve rather than persons to love.
You can assess whether your relational switch is on using the acronym CAKE:
Curiosity - Do you genuinely want to know what others are thinking and feeling?
Appreciation - Can you feel gratitude in your thoughts and body for people and moments you enjoy?
Kindness - Do you stay tenderhearted toward others, especially during disagreements?
Eye contact - Are you willing to make genuine eye contact with people?
When our relational switch flips off, we avoid eye contact, fixate on what annoys us, prioritize winning over connecting, and treat people as obstacles rather than image-bearers of God.
Staying Relational with God
While we understand that our relational switch can turn off toward people, we often miss that it can also turn off toward God. When we're bitter, disappointed, or angry at Him, we lose our curiosity about His perspective. We stop feeling grateful. We harbor resentment instead of kindness. We avoid His presence rather than seeking His face.
The tragedy is that God never turns His relational switch off toward us. Even when He disciplines, He does so in relational mode—not out of vengeance, but out of steadfast love and compassion. As Lamentations 3:31-33 reminds us, "For the Lord will not cast off forever, but though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love, for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men."
God remains relationally available even when we're not. His switch stays on. The problem is that when our switch is off, we can't receive His peace, feel His joy, or hear His voice—not because He's withholding, but because our receiver is disconnected.
Turning the Switch Back On
So how do we turn our relational switch back on, both with people and with God?
The answer appears throughout Scripture: gratitude, thanksgiving, and remembering the good.
Psalm 77:11-12 models this: "I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds."
Psalm 100:4 instructs: "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!"
Even Jesus taught us to begin prayer with praise: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name."
This isn't religious ritual—it's neurological wisdom. Gratitude literally rewires our brains, flipping our relational switch back on so we can engage, receive, and connect.
The Path Forward
As we navigate wilderness seasons—whether personal transitions, communal changes, or spiritual testing—we face a choice. Will we grumble and complain, extending our wilderness wandering? Or will we cultivate gratitude, maintain relational connection, and trust God's leading toward something better?
The wilderness doesn't have to be miserable. With the right attitude and deepening trust, it can become an exciting adventure where we grow, heal, and discover God's faithfulness in fresh ways.
The pillar of cloud and fire is moving. The question is: Will we move with it?
(This blog was created from Stacy Long's original sermon using pulpit.ai)
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