Salvation Is In The Wilderness

Are you in a wilderness? Do you feel spiritually, mentally, emotionally, or maybe even physically in bondage? I understand that feeling all too well. At times, those chains can seem so powerful, so strong, that it feels like nothing can break them. It feels as if there is no escape. Where is the hope that one day freedom will come?

Recently, in the middle of the night, I lay awake, pondering the times when God unmistakably showed up for me. When were those moments of rescue? What were the situations that led the Savior and Creator of all the world to come and save me? I realized that my moments of rescue came in periods of wilderness. God put a phrase on my heart: "Salvation is in the wilderness."

Reflecting on my wilderness, I thought about the children of Israel. They were in bondage and slavery, and through Moses, God provided a way for their escape, leading them into the wilderness. Their escape was the wilderness. In that wilderness, God performed miracle after miracle: manna every morning, His spirit burning with them at night and leading them by day, water from rocks, and the defeat of far larger armies. Salvation came in the wilderness.

My greatest time of wilderness began 24 years ago after a serious car accident left me paralyzed. Life had been so good, and then this happened. It felt like the paralysis I was in was bondage and prison. Where was my rescue? Where was God to part the waters and make a way for my escape from this wheelchair?

But then God opened my eyes to his evidences. I remembered a time in the night when He rescued me from deep sorrow. And again, when I was so overwhelmed, I could barely see through the tears, but the Lord placed three eagles outside my tiny window to lift my spirits. I recalled being a lonely college student, feeling unseen and unknown, when the Lord sent me a friend, I didn't know I desperately needed. God met me in my wilderness and rescued me, even though I had longed to return to the carefree, alive girl I had been at 18.

Just as the children of Israel wanted to return to Egypt after reaching the wilderness, I felt the same way. But the Spirit of God whispered to me, "If you went back, you would be in bondage and in prison. You may feel chained down now, but your 18-year-old limited understanding, your propensity to be swayed by the world, your lack of foundation and real relationship with Christ—that is bondage and slavery. You are freer now than you ever were before being paralyzed."

Where did that freedom come from? Where did God show up? Where was our Savior's promised rescue? It was in the wilderness. Salvation came in the wilderness.

Another name for Jesus Christ is Salvation. That is His identity. He cannot help but save us.

Salvation, the Prince of Peace himself, meets us where we are, right in the middle of our wilderness. But I also believe that the wilderness itself is a key piece to our salvation. It’s not just a period of time that’s hard; it is what prepares and humbles us, so we are ready for God’s rescue. God allows us to enter the wilderness so we’re ready for His reach.

So, if you are in a period of wilderness and wonder where God is, where Salvation is, have faith and keep looking up because He is on His way. If you can’t see Him yet, He's sending someone, something, some moment. He loves you and will never forget you. You will be saved! In fact, you’re already saved. The price for your Salvation has already been paid.

Take comfort, your Salvation is in this wilderness. He is in your wilderness. The escape doesn’t come by going backward to Egypt. Your salvation, rescue, and limitless freedom from the bondage and slavery of this limited world will come. God will bless you with the perspective to see Him, how He is moving, and how He is coming. - Jill McAuley

Jill’s life took a dramatic turn in 2000 when a car accident resulted in a C5 spinal cord injury, making her a quadriplegic. Undaunted by her injury, Jill went on to earn her degree in Sociology, is a working part of society, and volunteers with many organizations as well as her church. Jill was crowded Ms. Wheelchair Washington 2024. She uses her platform to raise awareness and support solutions for mental health struggles faced by individuals in wheelchairs. Jill is also currently writing a book on the transformative power of faith amid life’s unexpected challenges.

Talk about a woman who is living limitlessly!