A Spiritual Geography

"The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days" (Revelation 12:6).

What landscape does the word "wilderness" conjure for you? There are all types, of course, but do you visualize a particular geography when you hear the word? Forest, mountain, or desert? I first imagined a wintery tundra, in the heart of a bleak New England winter.

We define wilderness as an uninhabited tract or region, an empty or pathless area, or a wild, uncultivated state. But it could also be a bewildering situation. A confusing multitude or mass.

What about the spiritual geography of the wilderness? Is it simply a season of confusion, a dark night of the soul, or a crisis of faith—all bewildering situations for sure.  

Revelation is a book laced with symbology. This verse, tucked in a completely symbolic chapter, is understood as figurative language. No Bible Atlas or GPS will find this wilderness. It’s not on the map but it’s on God’s radar. Its coordinates are in the spiritual realms and in our spirits.

A Place and a Person

God has a name, Jehovah Maqom, which means “Place”— reflecting safety, shelter, and refuge. A hiding place, under the shadow of His wings. A destination, as in Mount Zion or the New Jerusalem. A burning bush. All places of God’s presence.

In Revelation 21:22, we learn there will be no temple in the New Jerusalem, no meeting place in which to worship God, simply because God becomes the temple. We will be “in God” as He has been “in us” through the indwelling Holy Spirit. It’s the Consummation of the Ages. The Marriage Feast of the Lamb. Union.

In the meantime, God is still with us, even in the wilderness. Jehovah-Maqom—a place as well as a person.

Where do we meet with Him? In the secret place.  

“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”—Revelation 21:3