God in the Desert: How Painful Seasons Heal Us Spiritually and Emotionally with Dr. Noel Forlini Burt (Book Review) S3E12

Many Christians know what “wilderness” feels like, even if we never use that word. Seasons where God feels absent and where we find ourselves near the end of our strength.In this episode of The Christian Clinician, Dr. Tanya Paynter sits down with Dr. Noel Forlini Burt to discuss her upcoming book, God in the Desert: How God Uses Painful Seasons to Heal Us Spiritually and Emotionally. Together, they explore the biblical wilderness as more than a place of hardship—it is also a place of formation, confession, surrender, and encounter with God.This conversation addresses the parts of Scripture that can feel confusing or even jarring in painful seasons: a God who leads Israel into the wilderness, a God who is both self-revealing and self-concealing, a God whose holiness confronts our desire for control. Dr. Forlini Burt also speaks to spiritual formation through the Old Testament and why wilderness experiences often bring complexity and “gray” into faith that we wish were simple.As we leave our study on forgiveness, we explore how the desert may feel like desolation, but it can also be the place where God is making us whole.This episode is especially for you if you are in a painful season, wrestling with God’s character, struggling with feeling far from Him, or trying to understand what God might be forming in you through the wilderness.In this episode, you’ll explore• Why the wilderness is just a negative place, but often a place of encounter with God• “In the struggle is the formation”: why hardship often becomes the means of growth• How wilderness experiences confront our control and expose the “false self”• Why the Old Testament helps us read painful seasons with more clarity and honesty• Why surrender can be frightening—and also freeing• How Scripture portrays God’s holiness and mystery in hard seasonsEpisode Timestamps 00:00 A jarring picture of God in the wilderness01:28 Introducing God in the Desert (release date + focus)01:58 Why Dr. Burt wrote this book07:42 The Hagar chapter and reading Scripture with adult honesty12:46 Wilderness as encounter and formation, not only hardship23:12 Discernment: testing mystics and everything against Scripture30:01 Letting go of control and surrender in the desert35:11 Where to find Dr. Noel Forlini Burt and her workResources Mentioned• God in the Desert: How God Uses Painful Seasons to Heal Us Spiritually and Emotionally — Dr. Noel Forlini Burt (releases April 14, 2026)• Hope in the Wilderness: Spiritual Reflections for When God Feels Far Away — Dr. Noel Forlini Burt• Encounters in the Dark: Identity Formation in the Jacob Story — Dr. Noel Forlini Burt• Hearing God — Dallas Willard (referenced in conversation)• Themes referenced: Exodus 13; Deuteronomy 8; wilderness formationAbout the GuestDr. Noel Forlini Burt teaches on biblical studies and spiritual formation. She is the author of Hope in the Wilderness: Spiritual Reflections for When God Feels Far Away and Encounters in the Dark: Identity Formation in the Jacob Story. She is also certified as a spiritual director through Truett Seminary and the Upper Room Academy for Spiritual Formation.Connect with Dr. Noel Forlini Burt• Instagram: @noelforliniburt• Facebook: Noel Forlini Burt• Book and author pages: https://www.amazon.com/God-Desert-Spiritual-Wilderness-Testament/dp/1514010305About the HostDr. Tanya Paynter is the host of The Christian Clinician, a podcast exploring the intersection of Christian faith, physiology, and whole-person health. As a licensed naturopathic physician, she helps Christians understand how spiritual practices and spiritual priorities shape stress physiology, emotional resilience, and long-term health.Where to Find Dr. Tanya PaynterLearn more at www.psalmmedical.comVisit the podcast webpage at https://www.psalmmedical.com/cc-podcastFollow The Christian Clinician on Social MediaYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thechristianclinicianFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChristianClinicianInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/christianclinician/