Finding Jesus in the Wilderness: 40 reflections for dry and difficult times

by Rachel Yarworth

Wilderness seasons come to us those spiritually dry and difficult times when God feels far away and the temptation to quit is everywhere. But it’s not all bad. There are treasures hidden among the difficulties that God has brought you here to find.
This book offers companionship to those who find themselves in a wilderness season - a hand to hold and a voice to encourage you to keep going. There is hope here after all. Also suitable as a Lenten devotional, where reading a reflection every day will help you to identify with Jesus’ own journey through the wilderness.”
Readers’
“A deep well of reality and honesty” – J Velykorodnyy
“Every chapter is full of truth and treasure” – J Margetts
“Raw, real and authentic” – J Sanders
“Every time I read it feels as though I find something that’s relevant for where I am right now” – A Banwell

Genres: Faith

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 7, 2024

About the author

Rachel Yarworth is the author of "Friend of God: The Miraculous Life of an Ordinary Person", published 2022
Rachel lives in Worcestershire with her husband Mike, their three miracle sons and their miniature labradoodle.
When not writing, Rachel can usually be found home educating her youngest son, leading a home church, or going for long walks in the countryside

Reviews

[Alex Banwell]

When Rachel Yarworth started compiling this collection of devotionals, she asked how people defined a wilderness experience. The consensus was that the wilderness is a place of loneliness. However, if you read her book, you will discover it is so much more. There is treasure to be mined even in dark places, and Rachel shows us how.

Although Finding Jesus in the Wilderness is ideal for lent because it is split into 40 sections, I believe it is relevant for any season. You can either skip ahead to the chapter that best describes your current struggle, or read chronologically, following Rachel’s natural thought progressions. The themes alternate beautifully from negative to positive, so the chapter on loneliness is followed by thoughts on hearing God speak, and the section on suffering precedes words about God’s comfort.

This book is Holy Spirit inspired and filled with profound scriptural encouragement, yet it is not a lesson in theology or a list of things we should do to fight our way out of the wilderness and live the victorious Christian life. It is written from the point of view of someone still trudging through her own wilderness journey. Many authors wait until their season of suffering is over before putting pen to paper. They look back from an open place of sunlight, joy, and healing, and write with rejoicing of how God brought them through. Of course, those books are wonderful, but there is something special about a friendly voice speaking words of hope from the centre of her pain. Rachel may not yet have received all her answers, but she is still clinging on to Jesus and going deeper in her faith walk despite the challenging season. As a reader, this made her words feel sincere and authentic. There is an emphasis throughout on leaning on God rather than on our own strength.

Some of the positive aspects of wilderness-dwelling highlighted in this book may seem surprising. We rarely think of it as a place of rest, revival, or as a place where the divine bridegroom woos his beloved.

Allow this beautiful book to be a gentle companion as you navigate your own wilderness journey, and I believe you will truly discover treasure hidden in dark places.

[Vicki Cottingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title immediately grabbed my attention and I knew it was a book I wanted to read. I have experienced times of being in a spiritual wilderness in the past, as I expect many of us have. I believe this book is relevant to my experience and will be to other readers’ experiences too. What I didn’t realise was just how relevant the book’s contents would be to my current circumstances. God has a way of bringing the right books to my attention at the right time. This is one of those books.

This book, as the blurb on the book’s back cover mentions, is suitable as a Lenten devotional as it takes the reader through 40 days of readings. However, it is also a book that is suitable at any time of the year.

Each chapter looks at a different aspect of being in the wilderness and the reason for being there. Within Rachel’s book she covers subjects such as the wilderness as being a place of weeping, a place of authentic prayer, a place of being carried, a place of burnout, a place of transformation and many more. There was not one chapter which did not speak to me personally. I found there was much I wanted to underline and think more about.
Within this book, Rachel shares truth from scripture and also shares openly about her own wilderness experiences. She shares words of encouragement and hope. It is this that makes the book so much more meaningful. It is not written by someone from just a theological viewpoint, it is written by someone who has experienced wilderness seasons and was in the middle of a wilderness season as she wrote this book. The book is also grounded in scripture which is of the utmost importance in my opinion. The way Rachel writes is so clear and easy to understand, as well as being fully relatable.

I highly recommend this book to everyone. For those in the midst of their own wilderness season needing hope and encouragement. For those who may not have yet gone through a wilderness season it provides helpful insights for preparing for a wilderness time. For those who have already been through a wilderness season, this book can bring some insight and understanding to what they have experienced.

[Rob Seabrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those who find themselves in the midst of a wilderness season, who need a dose of friendly encouragement, some truths spoken over them and some spiritual guidance, then this is a balm.
There are 40 daily reflections that will help the reader to see how being in a wilderness does not exclude you from being close to Jesus. In fact it is a comfort to know that He was there first. Each of the 40 short chapters takes a key Bible verse and unpacks it sensitively, allowing the reader to explore the issues. So the structure will work well as a daily study for the Lent season, but equally it should be a resource to dip into whenever needed.
Rachel is very honest about her own situation, feeling in the midst of a wilderness season when writing this book. Hence why it is written with such deep empathy, care and compassion, full of kindness and gentleness.
Rachel writes this Bible study with skill, taking the passages, telling the story and setting the context, then drawing out relevant learning points for the reader. Points that will resonate and speak into the readers lives. Readers will be blessed by each chapter but will no doubt find at least one or two that speak specifically into their own experiences or current situation, that will bring life and encouragement.
Rachel writes from a profound understanding of the word of God, with wisdom on how to apply it to our everyday lives, especially when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances. She does not avoid the difficult topics like failure, suffering and barrenness, handling them with empathy and honesty. But she also addresses the positives that can be gained from a wilderness season, like rejoicing and transformation.
It is packed with Biblical wisdom that will equip us to walk through those difficult seasons in life, with our heads and our hearts aligned with our loving Father. Above all, be encouraged. If you feel you are in a wilderness season then this will help you navigate it alongside God, not apart from Him.
Read more reviews of Christian books at http://www.robseabrook.com/

[Amanda Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled across Finding Jesus in the Wilderness written by Rachel Yarworth at a time when I knew it would be a helpful book to read, as I journey through my own strange wilderness. Finding Jesus in the Wilderness was written while Rachel was in a wilderness period, I truly believe we need more ‘in the middle stories,’ to encourage us that we’re not the only one. I love the way she has been so honest; she has held up the challenges of the wilderness; fear, trials, testing, temptation, loneliness, against alternate chapters of hope; rest, seeking, trusting, restoration.

I found this quote one of the most encouraging:

“The truth is, when we have wilderness seasons, we often feel overwhelmed with weakness, pain or discouragement, and simply cannot carry on. In those times of defeat God does not chide, discipline or correct. Instead, He does not hesitate to scoop us up and carry us, holding us close to His chest where we can feel His heartbeat and know we are safe.”

I have found that whenever I read a chapter, it's relevant to that day. It has been such a helpful book. It is good as lent devotional, but would suit anytime of year.

[Susan Sanderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very readable and helpful. I read it rather quickly the first time and am rereading it more slowly as a Lent book. My full review is here