It’s the season no one prays for, no one expects, and most of us try to avoid—what John and Lisa Bevere call the “wilderness season.”
In a recent episode of their Conversations podcast, the couple leaned into the topic of spiritual seasons, with a focus on the most difficult one believers often endure. “What’s the least favorite season that we as Believers experience?” John asked. “Without a doubt I would say it’s a wilderness season.”
Referencing Scripture and personal stories, the Beveres unpack how God doesn’t waste our winter seasons. “The Bible says that Jesus was led by the spirit of God into the wilderness for 40 days,” John said. It wasn’t punishment—it was preparation.
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Lisa echoed this truth with a personal account of a time when God asked her to separate from new friendships. “I was like, no, no, no, no, no, you don’t mean that,” she said. But God challenged her thinking. “You can make a choice whether this is a season of lonely or a season of alone.”
That choice—how we respond in a difficult season—is central to the Bevere message. “You can fight against the season or you can cooperate with the season,” John said. When believers resist what God is doing, the results can be devastating. “They got offended,” he said of the Israelites, “and so when you get offended your behavior is going to always be counterproductive.”
Instead, believers are encouraged to lean in, to let God do the hard work of pruning, even when it feels like loss. “The branches that bear fruit, he’ll prune,” John reminded listeners. “They didn’t do anything wrong. But they’re cut off because it’s going to produce more fruit.”
Lisa emphasized that “God is doing a new thing,” and warned that it’s always easier to do the old thing. But that’s not the path of growth. “You don’t discover the new thing by looking at what people are saying,” she said. “You discover the new thing by getting into Scripture and seeing what God is saying.”
For anyone walking through spiritual winter, feeling isolated or stuck, their message is simple: Don’t miss the purpose of the season.
Before closing the episode, the Beveres offered a heartfelt prayer, asking God for three specific things for their listeners:
- That they recognize the season they are in.
- That they recognize the season the body of Christ is in.
- That they would know what to do in that season.
They prayed that “their behavior would line up with the will of God so that they can flourish as that springtime comes back in.”
In a time when many feel like they’re in a holding pattern, or maybe walking through spiritual frost, this podcast offers a timely reminder: God is faithful—even in the wilderness.
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James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
