Why is the Wilderness a Blessing?

My husband and I were talking with a minister friend of ours and he said something about how we are in the wilderness, and the promised land is in heaven with our Lord. Why would this wilderness be a blessing?

Where do we learn? Where do we grow? Where do we go through the refining to become more holy? The wilderness. Without the trials and struggles we face, we would never grow. It is easy to trust in God if we never face difficulties, but it truly shows faith when we believe Him in the difficult times.

Why is this land the wilderness? We are strangers here, pilgrims in a foreign land. But, we have refuge in our faith. We see His goodness as we wander through the wilderness. He gives us manna when we are hungry. He sends us sweet showers of blessings to sustain us.

We live in the wilderness so that one day we experience the blessing of being in the promised land.

This world is not my home, I'm just passing through.
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

O Lord you know I have no friend like you
If Heaven's not my home, then Lord what will I do?
The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

In Christ's Love,