Day 08 - The Whisper in the Wilderness

This morning, we boarded a charter plane and bid farewell to Egypt. Our journey took us northward over the Sinai Peninsula, the very landscape where the Israelites once wandered. Below us stretched a vast, rugged expanse of desert, a land marked by stories of faith, struggle, and divine encounter. As we crossed over the Gulf of Aqaba, with Saudi Arabia to our right and the Sinai Peninsula to our left, we retraced the ancient footsteps of a people on their way to the Promised Land.

Where exactly Mount Sinai stood remains debated, but one thing is certain: we soared above the route where the Exodus story unfolded, a reminder that God led His people through desolation to transformation.

The wilderness was not merely a place of wandering—it was a place of refining, where God spoke, provided, and formed a people who would know Him deeply.

Wadi Rum: A Landscape of Otherworldly Beauty

By the afternoon, we found ourselves in the heart of Wadi Rum, a landscape so breathtaking and surreal that it has served as the backdrop for films like The Martian, Star Wars, and Dune. With its towering sandstone cliffs, deep red sands, and endless horizons, Wadi Rum feels like another planet—arid, vast, and untouched by time.

Yet, as mesmerizing as this place is, it also offers a stark reminder of the desert experience of the Israelites. For forty years, they traversed an environment much like this—dry, desolate, yet sacred. This was no accidental detour. God intended it as a honeymoon, a place where His people would learn to trust Him, to hear His voice, to follow His leading. In the wilderness, they were invited into intimacy with their Shepherd, to know Him not just in power but in presence.

The Whisper in the Wilderness

As the sun dipped below the rock formations and painted the sky in fiery hues, we sat in silence, taking it all in. The same God who led Israel through the wilderness still speaks today. He still leads, still provides, still whispers.

But in our modern world, distractions abound—endless noise, constant movement, the relentless demands of life. How often do we miss the whisper because we’re too busy, too hurried, too preoccupied to listen?

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” (Isaiah 30:21)

The question is not whether God speaks, but whether we are tuned in to listen.

Following the Shepherd’s Lead

Tonight, as we reflect on today’s journey, may we pause long enough to hear that still, small voice. May we have ears to hear the Shepherd’s call, feet to follow where He leads, and hearts that pursue Him with our whole being—with all our muchness (Deuteronomy 6:5).

Tomorrow, the adventure continues. But tonight, we rest in the truth that the journey is the destination, and the Shepherd leads us on.

Jerrell