If you have ever read the book of Exodus, then you know the main theme throughout its entirety is the deliverance of the Children of Israel from the hand of Pharaoh.

If you haven't read or heard the story, let me give you a synopsis: the children of Israel (God's chosen people), were slaves to Pharaohs in the land of Egypt. One day, God decides to send a meek man named Moses to tell Pharaoh to, "Let His people go." The (somewhat) short version of this story is that Pharaoh chose not to listen and Moses went back several times asking for the liberation of God's people, all while God brought plagues, signs and wonders along with Him to show His power to Pharaoh (something God had orchestrated due to Pharaoh disobeying God's command). God was basically saying, "You can say no, Pharaoh, but I will have the last word."

Finally, after much death and toil in the land, Pharaoh finally let the people go and the Children of Israel were on their way to the land God had promised them, "a land flowing with milk and honey." As their journey continued, Pharaoh had a change of heart and decided to go after the people and kill them. Exodus 14:8 says, "and the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the King of Egypt: and He pursued after the children of Israel and Israel went out with a high hand."

So now, as the children face the red sea, they soon realize Pharaoh and his entire army are right behind them, ready to kill. As the people stand before this sea, they realize they have nowhere to go and immediately begin to complain to Moses saying, "because there were no graves in Egypt you have taken us away to die in the Wilderness? " (Ex 14:11).They were basically saying, "You brought us out of Egypt just so we could die in the wilderness instead." The story didn't end there, however. (This is one of my favorite parts in the entire bible.) As the children of Israel cry out in fear to God, and Pharaoh and his army are making their way towards the people, Moses tries to encourage and reassure the people just the kind of God that they serve. Moses says to the people, "Stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord, which He will show you today: for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall see them again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace" (Ex 14:13-14). In the following passages, God did just as He had promised (what a guy), and the Red sea was split, the entire army, including Pharaoh was swallowed up and the Children of Israel walked through the sea. Can you imagine? An entire body of water is split in half by God himself- just for you.

Yet shortly after this miracle was performed and as soon as this victory came, the people went back to complaining and a journey that should have only taken them a few days tops took them 40 years. They spent 40 years in the backside of the desert. Why? Because of their complaining and unbelief.

The children of Israel had already seen God's hand at work, they had been delivered out of the cruel hand of Pharaoh, the splitting of the Red Sea and now they were on their way to the promised land and yet, they were miserable! Many ask why the children of Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness. If you still don't know the answer to that question, let me tell you: it was because of their unbelief. It's that simple. Their complaining was due to them not believing the word of God, the promise that was specifically for them.

I am not placing judgment due to the fact that the children of Israel were complaining ever after they saw these miracles come to pass. It is so easy to be so deep in hurt, loss, confusion, depression, difficult circumstances and then complain. It is so easy to look at our problems, our pain and think it won't change, it can't get better, this is it. But even as the children of Israel faced oppression by Pharaoh before leaving Egypt, even with the sea before them and an army behind them and that's all they could see, God was still there and the Promised land was still right there, right on the other side. The promise was still there, regardless of the current circumstances. That is how the story ended. They still reached the promised land in spite of their difficulties. God never let them down.

I know this article is lengthy already, but here is where I want to get with this.

This world and sadly, many believers and non believers alike are living in a wilderness of their own. I am speaking to myself here. I would not be writing this if it weren't for something I have personally experienced.

The evidence is all around us. Everyday tragedy, mass shootings, murders, wrongful persecutions, (or lack of rightful ones), are becoming the norm. Everyone has their own predictions or reasoning as to "why." The list is endless: gun control, politics, Obama, lack of education or money or religion. We could be here forever listing the reasons why our world is in such distress.

Yet, the more I see these tragedies occur, the more I see how desperately I need Jesus just to get through an hour of my day, not even an entire day itself. The more I see what the problem with our society, our world is unbelief.

The world does not want to believe that there is a God who can heal our land, heal the hurting, open blind eyes, set addicts free and bring us to the land flowing with milk and honey. In several ways, I completely understand. Those who claim to be children of God, the people of God are the same people spreading hate and heartache to those looking for a way to heal, a place to call home, a place of love and acceptance. Shame on them and I promise, no true born again believer is like that. I, being a Christian my entire life have had to spend several months away from the Church because it wasn't the body of Christ that Christ has called us to be. There is still hope, however.

In that time away from the church, I found Jesus, the real Jesus. It changed my life forever and that is how I came to realize and learn these truths. Our country is dying because of unbelief in the Savior.

This unbelief is so toxic that is has even infected the church and many believers who are struggling with their faith. As I stated earlier, I am speaking to myself. I don't want to make this article about me and I promise it won't end that way. Yet I feel I need to share personal experience in order for some to understand.

Recently, I have found myself surrounded by that unbelief, that fear of the unknown; asking if tests and trials that come my way will ever truly end in victory. I believe we can all relate to that and maybe you're thinking about it right now. You have been struggling with it for so long, or you have waited for that promise that He spoke to you to come to pass or maybe you're waiting for some form of divine happening to reach our world so that the murders can stop, the shootings can end, the politicians can make right decisions for the people... not against the people. Yet, it may seem it's getting worse rather than better and then the unbelief creeps in, the fear takes over and personal faith for that particular thing, grows weary.

Let me tell you something: yes, this world is in a terrible state and yes, it honestly is getting worse, but God is able. He is still the same God who split the Red sea, He is still the same God that destroyed Pharaoh and his army. He is still the same God that saved me and countless others from the darkest times in life.

All He asks is that we believe! Just like in the case of Pharaoh, God may allow the hearts of world leaders, politicians, civilians and even the church to become hardened, and trust that if He allows it, it is for a reason, but let us not spend our time in disbelief. I can only speak for myself when I say I am tired of living that way. In constant fear or this or that, in constant stress. Regardless of what I feel, I know my God is able.

He prepared a table for the children of Israel. In fact, the Bible says God fed them manna from heaven. Think about that! Right there, in the wilderness was a feast, a celebration. In the midst of their unbelief and bickering, complaining. God still provided! Not only did He provide but He gave from Heaven. God spoke to one man who was willing to listen and believe in the middle of the desert and because of this man's' (Moses) willingness to not only listen but believe, a multitude of people were cared for.

Sadly, many of the children of Israel died through their journey in the desert in those 40 years. That is what unbelief does to you, it kills the living word, the living faith inside that says, "God can, God will, God does, God can." Any form of unbelief kills the soul.

For example, one cannot be saved without believing that the atonement of Christ is enough to wipe the slate clean and change the heart and life of the individual. If one doesn't believe that, then one cannot be saved. Simple. The same goes for hearing and receiving from the Lord. We must trust and know that God is God and God never changes.

Whatever Red Sea we each face, and we all have our own, let us believe that in the midst of the wilderness, God is teaching how to trust Him. "Lean not on your own understanding."

Sometimes I cannot understand, sometimes I choose not to understand because the pain is far greater than my willingness to understand. But enough is enough. I do not want my faith to stay stagnant. I have tasted and seen that my Lord is good and He will see me through. He doesn't ask me to understand. He simply asks me to believe that He will do what He promised and as I wait, He asks that I sit at the table that He has prepared. He asks that I sit and talk with Him, eat with Him. He asks that I keep my eyes on Him. He doesn't ask that I look to the problem I face, He doesn't ask that I look to the circumstance, or even to myself. I cannot do anything without the help of Him. That's all He wants, is for me to sit and feast with Him, praise Him in the midst of the situation.

Even before the children of Israel reached the promised land, the land flowing with milk and honey, as the Bible says, the land was already there! It was already theirs! All they had to do was go into it, yet they spent 40 years not believing this promise!

Even when they faced giants in the land at the end of their journey, they still possessed it! It was always their land! How different would their journey have been, how much sooner would they have arrived had they just believed the word of the Lord. God's' promise to them never changed, but their faith did. That was what kept them in the wilderness. Yet even then, God never left their side. Exodus 13:21 says, "and the Lord went before them by the day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in the pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night." Even when they did not believe Him, God never left their side. That is how He works, His promises never change, His word doesn't change. We are the ones who change, He doesn't change. All He asks is that we believe that.

When I first heard a question which inspired the title of this piece, I had never heard it asked before and I had not realized how much I needed to actually hear it.

It was taken from a foreword by Jefferson Bethke in a book titled "Tables In the Wilderness" written by Preston Yancey. When I first read this book, I was in the darkest place in my life. My relationship with the love of my life had suddenly ended (and it was ugly), my family life was non existent, I had no friends or acquaintances to turn to and my heart was completely shattered. I had no sense of direction. I suddenly realized I had no idea who I was, what the next step was or if I could ever heal. All I knew was that God was my only hope at that point and all I wanted was to have a real relationship with Him, yet I felt so far away and distant from God. I felt hurt and alone, in my own wilderness. (About a year later I realized that wilderness was the greatest blessing I could have ever encountered.) Then I found this book and the words I read in this book changed my life forever and helped me get through that wilderness. I leave you with these words. I hope that, like in my case, these words jump off the page/screen and become real to you. That you heal and faith arises in your heart. I hope that it sparks a truth that yes, wilderness experiences will come but we don't have to stay there forever and that there is beauty even in the midst of brokenness and despair in the middle of the wilderness.

Most importantly, that beauty will come again.

Here is a section of the foreword:

"...I realized how many times in our bitter or sarcastic questioning, God's answer is YES. He really does prepare a table in the wilderness. He prepares a table in the silence. He prepares a table in the depression. He prepares a table in the growing pains. The God of the cosmos prepares a table for you and me. And we are invited to sit, to eat, to learn, to laugh...

the funny thing about tables is you sit all the way around which means someone is sitting across from you... what a beautiful picture that God not only prepares a table for us, but He sits with us...

We are all in the family. We are diverse, we are unique, and we are all the very body of our King Jesus. We share the same last name, even though our first names might be different, and that's what matters. The saying goes that, "blood is thicker than water" and that saying is true, the only thing is it isn't our blood that unites us but His. And what's best is, like a true family should, we are all invited to the table. The question is, will you have a seat?" - J. Bethke

Let's not forget that in the midst of the hurt our world is facing, God will have the last word. All we are required to do is believe that He can make a way, He can make it all beautiful in His time. All He asks is that we sit with Him at the table.