Oceans in the Desert

Kathi Pelton

Twenty years ago I went through a period where I experienced pain that went so deep that most days it was hard to breathe. Sleep was erratic and exhaustion was constant.

During that time I truly wondered if I’d survive and come out the other side. My husband and I had four small children and we were a part of a church staff, which made it even more difficult. There was no hiding it or pretending that I was fine because this pain was all-consuming. No one knew what to do (except pray) and hope was difficult to hang onto.

God was hard at work in order to set me free of deep pain and bondages that I had never dealt with. These places of bondage had been keeping me from experiencing true intimacy and joy. Of course, during this time, the enemy was trying to take full advantage of my vulnerable state as my emotions were vacillating between truth and lies numerous times a day. But greater was He who was within me than he who was trying to destroy me.

God knew what to do, and what I needed to be set free. Though there were times during those three years that it appeared to me, and to those around me, that the enemy had won; God was not finished with me! He went to the very root, where the spirit of death was residing, and set me free. In His kindness He didn’t stop short of that deep root, but layer upon layer He took me to that place so that I could partner with Him and choose life.

I’m sharing this with you because I am keenly aware of God going after every place of captivity. In His mercy He is going after the deep roots that have held people in bondage and kept them from true, pure intimacy, joy, and freedom. Though the enemy may be trying to take advantage of your vulnerability, the victory belongs to the Lord! Do not lose hope!

This is the passage of Scripture that God gave me during those years,

“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. In that day,” declares the Lord, “you will call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master. ’ I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked. In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety. I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord.” Hosea‬ ‭2:14-20‬ ‭

God took me into a wilderness where in His kindness He restored me. He removed from me the name of every “master” that held me captive and brought me into a true betrothal with Him and Him alone. In those years I learned to lean upon Him, trusting in areas that had been kept independent from Him. Dependency became my song of surrender and my declaration of freedom.

“Who is this coming up from the wilderness leaning on her beloved? Under the apple tree I roused you; there your mother conceived you, there she who was in labor gave you birth.” Song of Songs‬ ‭8:5‬ ‭

The captivity of Egypt is being removed from God’s people. Every mindset of captivity, every spiritual stronghold of captivity, every lie and every spirit that is unholy must go. This again is a part of the “rerouting” of pathways and the divine “reset” that is happening to prepare a people who are “Holy unto the Lord.” This will bring a corporate authority to heal lands and people groups, enabling us to walk in the authority needed to disciple nations.

He is your deliverer! He is the deliverer of your children! He is the victorious One who will not fail you. Put your hope in Him and lean upon Him with full surrender.

“Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.” Psalm‬ ‭3:1-8‬ ‭

Amen!

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