When the wilderness is longest, The Promise is Nearest

When the wilderness is longest, the Promise is Nearest

Today, I’m writing again as a continuation of my last blog, New Seasons Require New Strength. I had planned to post something else, but God inspired me to stay on this theme.

This time, I want to speak especially to people who carry great purposes, promises, and prophecies from God upon their lives. Yes, every one of us has God’s promise, but there are some who carry something beyond ordinary—something great on the inside. Because of what they carry, they may have once been burning with zeal for God, going through many wilderness seasons but coming out stronger each time.

Yet, when a major turning point is near, there can come a wilderness that feels unbearably long. We see this in the story of the Israelites—the longest wilderness recorded in the Bible was their journey from Egypt to Canaan. In that final stage, just before reaching the Promised Land, everything seemed most hopeless. They were tired, weary, and tempted to give up, not realizing a transition was right around the corner.

Likewise, those with a great calling often face a wilderness that seems endless. This time, neither prayer, nor the Word, nor anything seems to bring instant relief. For a moment, they may feel revived, but soon they find themselves back in the same place. It’s like burning brightly one day, then losing the fire the next.

But here’s the truth—your “Promised Land” is just one step away. Don’t lose your trust in God. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). All the israelites had the same promise, yet not all entered the land. Was God partial? No. It came down to choice.

If you desire to be beyond ordinary, you must also think, live, and act beyond ordinary—from the inside out. You cannot have an ordinary mindset and expect an extraordinary calling. A great calling demands great faith. It’s where you begin to wipe your own tears, not wait for someone else to wipe them.

That’s why people with a great calling often experience loneliness and rejection—because they are placed for lead roles. They are called to rise, to lift others. That’s why they go through intense training—because they are set apart. And every time in Scripture, even in the life of Jesus, great ministry followed great wilderness. “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1). Only after that came the fullness of His ministry.

Not every wilderness is meant to break you—some are meant to recharge you for a restart. The discomfort, frustration, confusion, or doubt you feel may not be because you failed, but because the greatness inside you refuses to let you settle. It pushes you to go higher.

The tea making process

I think of it like making tea. First, the tea boils. Then, before it’s served, it is left to rest so the leaves can settle to the bottom. But when you lift the pot for straining, those leaves rise again—only this time, they remain behind while the liquid passes through.

Why add tea leaves if we don’t consume it along with the liquid? Because without them, tea would just be bland water; tea leaves give identity to a tea. Some things in life feel unnecessary—bitter, even—but they are the very things giving you your identity. Bitter though seems awful; sometimes, it’s the main ingredient adding a taste to your life.

Sweetness, though feels pleasurable, doesn't mean it benefits. Tea can be tea without sugar, but never without tea leaves. Too much sugar can even harm. “It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods” (Hebrews 13:9).

Some disconnections will bless your life

Too much of anything is never good.

So—track back, rise again, and fight the good fight of faith.

God bless,

Kanya Bullo

In life, you may start by boiling with passion for God, then feel like you’ve gone still, just like how the tea is first kept to boil and then left at rest to let the tea leaves separate and settle down. When you feel like everything has come to an end yet God may simply be preparing you for the “straining process”(removing what is no longer needed).

Understand this, tea leaves are sure a necessary ingredient we put. But, If tea leaves stay too long, they spoil the tea. Likewise, if certain things or people stay in your life beyond their God-ordained season, they can harm the work God is doing in you.

Many will come and go, but only Christ remains forever. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Flow with the process He is leading you through. Some connections were just for a time and season. Don’t cling to something so tightly that it becomes impossible to let go when God says it’s time.