Embrace the Desert Place

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. (Luke 4:1-2 NIV)

We live in an age of instant gratification. Patience and perseverance don’t seem to matter anymore. We’re promised immediate results if we would “just go for it.” Anyone can be anything, or so we’re told. Sadly, we think that we can do it all without God. But for those of us who do seek God, we’re often led in the desert place where we come face to face with our humanity and our real need for Him. In the desert, we’re also tested and prepared for what God has called us to do.

Jesus certainly did. Just prior to embarking on His public ministry, Jesus was led into the desert, where He was tempted by the devil for 40 days. The tempter tried to offer Him similar things that he still offers us today: the easy way out of difficulty, fame and recognition, and the desire for control. But Jesus didn’t cave in. That period of testing in the desert proved necessary as it empowered Jesus for His mission. If the Son of God needed to be led in the desert in order to learn complete reliance on God and prepare Him for what was to come, how much more do we!

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1)

Learn to embrace the desert place because it’s the best training ground for a victorious life. We’re most genuinely ourselves and most honest with God when we’re alone with Him. Just like Jesus, we can be assured of the Holy Spirit’s presence throughout our desert journey, helping us to overcome the trying times and making us stronger and better for what lies ahead. And if it takes 40 days or 40 years, we know that it will be well worth it in the end because in the desert, it is where we become who God created us to be. So let’s follow Jesus’ advice and get away “to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31 NKJV). With God, we don’t need to hurry because He’s working all things out for our good and His glory, in His way and time.