When we think of ‘leadership,’ we usually think about positions of influence, power, and status. And while that is a legitimate association, the Bible presents something quite different—and it’s something that’s not as glamorous as we’d wish. In fact, the Bible’s blueprint for leadership development—whether it becomes glamorous one day or not—always starts with a wilderness experience.
And for us, that means one, very important, yet, rather daunting thing: if God is calling you to lead, then you need to realize that a wilderness experience is the rule, not the exception.
Looking through Scripture, whenever God called someone to lead, he sent them into the wilderness first. And that was the case for every major leader in the Bible.
Abraham. Joseph. Moses. David. Jesus.
Their wilderness experiences possibly felt meaningless in the moment—the result of bad luck or victimizing circumstances—but nothing could have been further from the truth. God ordained each wilderness and used every moment of it to form them into the leaders he was one day calling them be. Therefore, every wilderness proved to be an absolutely necessary part of their development and effectiveness as leaders. Let’s take a brief look at each.
The Wild, Wild Wilderness
Abraham, for example, was called by God to lead a new people, to possess a new land, and to multiply into a great nation. But what did God give Abraham first? People? No. Land? No. Children? No. God first gave Abraham a wilderness—one of domestic displacement, barrenness, and a slew of circumstantial dead-ends and dilemmas.
God called Joseph from a very young age to be a leader of nations. But what did God give Joseph first? Political involvement? No. Education? No. Marriage? No. God first gave Joseph a wilderness—one of betrayal by family, false accusation by workers, and neglect by friends.
God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and to be their national leader once they were out. But what did God give Moses first? Speaking talent? No. A good reputation among his own people? No. Security and stability in Egypt? No. God first gave Moses a wilderness—one of domestic displacement, singleness, and vocational dissatisfaction. (Remember, he had the position of second-in-command in Egypt—a prince of the greatest country in the world—and then got demoted to the lowliest position in all the land—a shepherd.)
God called David to be a king at a young age. But immediately after David was anointed king, what did God give David first? A palace? No. A pasture. Instead of people, God gave him sheep. Instead of recognition, God gave him obscurity. Instead of a crown and a scepter, God gave him a staff and a sling.
And God called Jesus to be our Savior and Lord. But what did God call him to do first? To be served? No. To judge? No. But to serve and be judged. To take on flesh, to bear our sin, and to die our death. When God called Jesus to lead humanity, God sent him out of his heavenly home and into the wilderness of earth. Additionally, when it was time for Jesus to officially start his ministry on earth, where did God immediately send him first? To the temple to teach? No. To the market square to do miracles? No. Right after Jesus’ inaugural baptism, the Spirit directed him into the wilderness instead—to fast, to be tempted, and to depend on God.
Do you see an interesting trend? In between God’s calling and God’s fulfillment of that calling is always a wilderness. But why? Why would God tailor the process this way, to make it so trying? Because it’s in the wilderness where God shapes his people into the leaders he needs them to be before they’re able to truly lead others after all.
The truth is, as a leader, you simply can’t lead others through things you haven’t first gone through yourself. So in grace, God often ordains seasons of wilderness in your life so that you’ll be able to help others as you lead them through their wildernesses.
In fact, that’s exactly what we see with these same characters in Scripture.
From Me, To You
Because Abraham dealt with domestic displacement and barrenness first, he was well equipped to lead and to help his son, Isaac, and his grandson, Jacob, through the same wildernesses of displacement and barrenness that they faced themselves. Abraham’s wilderness, therefore, was not an obstacle to the calling of God—it was the means of it. It gave him the ability to trust God through his own situation, and then turn around and empower others in similar situations.
Because Joseph went through the pit and the prison—having absolutely nothing—it best prepared him to steward the palace effectively. In the pit and the prison, God was refining his ‘daddy’s-boy-always-gets-what-he-wants’ heart into a wellspring that could finally feel the hurts, pains, and sufferings of others who had nothing. And fittingly, God exalted Joseph to power at just the right time to lead the Egyptian empire through its harshest season—one of famine, poverty, and loss—with both empathy and skill. Joseph’s wilderness was not an obstacle to the calling of God—it was the means of it.
Because Moses went through the wilderness first, he was able to lead the Israelites through the wilderness out of Egypt. Besides, how long was Moses’ tenure in the wilderness before he went back to lead the people out of Egypt? 40 years. How long did the Israelites wander in the desert after they were freed from Egypt? 40 years. See, because of Moses’ personal wilderness, he became uniquely equipped to lead the Israelites through their own 40-year wilderness as well. Moses’ wilderness was not an obstacle to the calling of God—it was the means of it.
Because David dwelt in the pasture first, he was positioned to steward the palace well. The obscurity of the pasture weaned David from the need to have acknowledgement and approval in order to function. Shepherding the sheep equipped him with principles for pastoring a nation. And becoming skilled with the staff and sling best prepared him to take down Goliath and one day lead the armies of Israel. The values and virtues he learned in the wilderness were exactly what he needed as preparation for the palace. David’s wilderness was not an obstacle to the calling of God—it was the means of it.
And because God sent Jesus into a wilderness, he was enabled to feel every ounce of humanity—to be extremely hungry, to be lonely, and to be tempted in every way in the greatest context of weakness (Mt. 4, Heb. 4). God sent Jesus through this wilderness so that he could relate to us and be the leader that we truly need—one who can empathize with us, bear our burdens, and help us overcome.
The blueprint of true leadership starts with a wilderness. You simply can’t lead others through things that you haven’t first gone through yourself.
If you’re a parent, and you’ve never had a wayward child, you simply cannot lead parents with a wayward child. Why? Because you can’t empathize with their struggle.
If you’re an individual who’s never been single or hasn’t experienced devastating break-ups, you simply cannot lead someone who has struggled with seasons of singleness. Why? Because you can’t empathize with their struggle.
If you’re a person who’s never suffered with chronic illness, you simply cannot lead someone whose body has been wrecked by it. Why? Because you can’t empathize with their struggle.
Sure, you might be able to inspire others with your words, but if you haven’t experienced what they’ve experienced, then you won’t be able to relate to them with your life. You can inspire people with your strengths, but you’ll only be able to connect with them over your weaknesses. And leadership is not first about inspiration, but about connection. A connection has to be made before inspiration occurs. Why? Because otherwise your leadership and advice becomes unrealistic and unattainable. It sets a standard that is inherently unfair for others to live up to because there is a fundamental gap between your experience and theirs. This dynamic is true when it comes to relating with others, but it is also true when it comes to relating with God.
And God knew that, too. He knew he couldn’t truly lead us unless he had first intimately connected with us. And that’s what makes the incarnation so comforting and so beautifully distinct from every other religion—God took on flesh to relate to us and to experience himself all sufferings that we go through. Starting with that premise, we’re able to see why his commands are not burdensome and why his love is so sweet.
Practically speaking, there’s good news and there’s bad news.
The bad news is, for those of you who have had it easy—the perfect job, the easy relationship, a life free of pain—you’re not in a position to lead. You’re simply unqualified. Because you aren’t the rule, you’re the exception. You don’t stand in the majority; you stand in the minority. You can’t be a leader of the people if you don’t represent the people.
But the good news is, for those of you who have had it rough—the joyless job, the hard break up, a body shot through with weakness—you’re in a position to lead. You’re qualified because you stand in the majority, not the minority. You can be a leader of the people precisely because you represent the people.
You can only lead someone as far as your own wilderness has taken you. Why? Because that will be the extent of your connection with them. And where connection ends, leadership fails. This is why your wilderness experience directly parallels your leadership effectiveness.
Let me conclude with a personal experience that I hope illustrates this truth well.
Construction In The Chaos
This past year in particular has been a wilderness for me. Pain, confusion, and unsettledness have sabotaged almost every area of my life. From a loss of love to a loss of direction, from misunderstandings to mishaps, from unsettledness to uncertainty—the whole gamut. But the feelings, weight, and pressure of it all came to a culmination one day last week, and it brought me to my knees in prayer. But while I was praying, something strange happened that’s never really happened to me before. Namely, God gave me a vision (if that’s what you want to call it).
To be honest, I’m a super skeptical, analytical person. I don’t really go with the whole ‘subjective experience,’ ‘hocus pocus’ type stuff. But something happened.
While I was praying, I felt like God began to usher a vision before my mind’s eye of what my life looked like pre-2017. And it took on the setting of a still, deep lake surrounded by large, stately mountains. The water was crystal clear, and the mountains reflected symmetrically upon its glassy surface.
But right when the serenity began to sweeten, however, a massive boulder suddenly fell from the sky into the center of the lake. It crashed violently into the stillness, sending hundreds of waves rippling across the lake’s surface, disrupting and distorting the once crystal-clear reflection of the mountains. I was in shock, disoriented, and confused. What is going on?
But before the waves could even subside from the boulder’s impact, another boulder of equal size dropped from the sky as well, again into the center of the lake, again, causing an upheaval of watery chaos. Now it became painful. Surely this isn’t supposed to be happening.
And yet again, before the waters could subside once more, another boulder dropped from the sky like an atomic bomb, destroying the surface once more and ripping the waters apart yet again.
The scene horrified me, and each time a boulder collided with the lake, my heart felt each blow. I felt the destruction of the waters, and I felt the pain of its chaos, and I pleaded with God, “Please, make this stop! No more! Just give me some relief!”
But to my great dismay, God’s answer to my plea was not peace, but more boulders and more chaos. This time, rocks, pebbles, and boulders of varying shapes and sizes bombarded the lake from every angle—falling from the sky like a rainstorm blowing sideways. The waters raged from all sides.
And as I watched the lake’s crystal waters tear apart, my heart broke. And I pleaded with God, “Why? Why are you making this happen to me?”
This time, however, God answered differently.
The rocks stopped falling down; the skies began clearing up; the sun started poking through; and the lake’s surface smoothened out. And in the quiet stillness, God whispered something gentle to my vulnerable, weakened soul: “Because this is how I build bridges.”
The statement dropped in my heart like a boulder that sank in the lake.
God then shifted my viewpoint below the surface of the lake. And that’s when I noticed something startling: All the boulders and rocks that seemed so maliciously and chaotically tossed in—the ones that ruined the surface of the lake—were actually carefully, meticulously, and strategically built upon each other underneath the surface, forming pillars and foundations that would support the weight of bridges: places of connection.
And then it all made sense to me. Hardship swelled into worship.
Peace washed over my soul. Understanding flooded my mind.
Boulders of Suffering Are Building Blocks of Leadership
No matter who you are, the boulders of life hurt like hell. Make no doubt about it. And those same hurts, doubts, and frustrations will still bubble up to the surface of life from time to time, too, no matter how long it’s been since ‘it’ happened. But these hurts, wounds, and boulders are not chaotic; they are constructive. They’re building a foundation of faith in God and empathy for others that wouldn’t have ever happened otherwise.
If you choose to see your pain this way, you will recognize one very important truth: Wounds do not rip us apart as individuals as much as they can connect us with others. This is because pain is universal reality; not something that has just happened to you. It works on an interpersonal level, but it also works on a personal level as well. Wounds do not rip us apart as people as much as they have the ability to rip us apart from the self-sufficiency, self-sovereignty, and selfishness that were actually ripping us apart without us even knowing it.
And in that perspective, I realized something beautiful.
I wasn’t a slave to wounds. Wounds were a salve to me.
Wounds hurt the soul, and they empty it out. But in doing so, they carve out channels for connection, empathy, and leadership to come rushing through like never before.
And it’s true with Jesus. By His wounds, we are healed. And likewise, by our wounds, we can help. Through Jesus’ wounds flow salvation for us. And through our wounds flow empathy for others.
Which means the wounds that God applies are not vindictive, but redemptive—not just for your sake, but for others’ sakes, too. And even more, if suffering is fire, and if God’s promises are your rock, then suffering can solder your heart to these promises like nothing else. And in doing so, it will forge steel in your heart, enabling you to support the weight of the great responsibilities and blessings that He’s calling you into as a leader anyways.
This is why you should expect seasons of wilderness and suffering. Because God is far more interested in doing a work in you before he does anything through you or for you. Nothing is wasted. He is always preparing you for what he has prepared for you.[1]
Leaders, be assured: God does not want life to happen to us as much as He wants us to happen to life. That’s why He went through wildernesses himself, and that’s why He ordains them for us. So that we can overcome the trials and become the people he’s calling us to be for his kingdom.
Which means we can take heart. Our leader, Jesus, has overcome the world. And in him, so will we, too.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore you, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
–1 Peter 5:7-10
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FOOTNOTES:
[1] https://relevantmagazine.com/life/maker/stop-worrying-so-much-about-making-big-impact
