Ask Fred > Career/Work > What is the benefit of the desert experiences? Israel and Jesus both had them.
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Dear Fred
What is the benefit of the desert experiences? Israel and Jesus both had them.
Fred's Response
Most saints that I read of have had a desert experience which they see is from God. The important thing to remember about the desert is that we are to go through it by learning our lesson, nor to stay and die in it like the rebellious children of Israel. It is God's academy...it is his training course. I see two types of desert experiences: 1) relational where God seems to make Himself unavailable and 2) suffering and sickness. There are common denominators of both: 1) the development of faith, patience, and gratitude and 2) it deepens your prayer life. Fenelon says that we are to bless the hand that smites us for it's from a loving God. Prayer may be different in one circumstance rather than another. If we feel disconnected and alienated from God we are praying for His presence; if we are suffering we pray for endurance. St. John of the Cross called these experiences the "dark night of the soul." I advise you to be patient and await the graduation from God's academy. For Abraham it took 13 years; for JB Phillips it took 2. Again, Fenelon says that God will not keep you in the desert one day longer than is necessary.
