Come Follow Me- May 10-16, 2026-Deuteronomy. A Call To Remember

We read about wilderness times often in scripture. We have been following Moses and the ancient Israelites and their journey in the wilderness. The Book of Mormon prophet Lehi and his family spent some considerable time in the wilderness. The saints of the early restoration did their fair share of traveling in the wilderness, even Jesus Christ had His time in the wilderness. The wilderness symbolically represents a place of testing, preparation and refinement. The wilderness also happens to be where God manifests Himself to His children. One of my favorite quotes about the early saints coming across the plains is from Francis Webster a member of 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 of that company utter a word of criticism? Not one of that company ever apostatized or left the Church because every one of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives, for we became acquainted with Him in our extremities. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin handcart company.” What price are we willing to pay to become acquainted with God? How will we let the wilderness times in our lives shape our stories? For us the wilderness might not look like an extended period of time traveling in 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 our worries are loud. Maybe our wilderness is the exhausting cycle of a job that feels empty, or without a lot of future. Maybe it's the silence of a house that used to be full, or the noise of doubts that are wearing you down. If you feel like you’re wandering in the wilderness, I want you to hear this clearly: You are in very good company. God didn't lead Moses or the Pioneers into the desert to lose them; He led them there because that is where they would find Him. He led them there so that the only voice they could hear would be His. The wilderness became the best place to forge a covenant relationship with them.