Do you ever feel like you are going through a wilderness time? What might that look like? When I think of the word wilderness, the following come to mind:

Big
Easy to get lost in
Beautiful in unique ways
A place of hunger or thirst
A lonely area
A place of unknown direction with no clear path
Wild
Disorderly
Powerful
Empty but full

It's interesting that the Spirit purposely drove Jesus to the wilderness prior to a time of public ministry. Why would God put His son into a lonely, potentially dangerous and certainly temptation full place? Perhaps because Jesus would discover what it was like to be human. While in the wilderness, Jesus would likely experience fatigue, loneliness, hunger, and various emotions of disconnection from His Father and/or others. A friend shared with me a piece of advice she had heard. "HALT. Never let yourself get too hungry, angry, lonely or tired." Who ever first came up with that realized that is a recipe for depression, despair, and disconnection. Wise words. Yet God purposely led Jesus into an environment when all four of those would be prevalent. Why?

We don't get stronger when things stay easy. Jesus was being prepared for His eventual ministry. He would experience temptation from Satan and other discomforts. Yet Mark 1:13 gives us a hopeful insights. God had angels attending Jesus even while in the wilderness. He provided resources to make it through the tough time and come out prepared and stronger.

Most of us have some sort of hard thing going on in our life...whether something small or very large. But God never deserts us, just like He didn't desert Jesus here. He still provided a way for Jesus to be loved and cared for and not truly alone although I don't doubt that Jesus may have felt loneliness during that time. If you are going through a wilderness time, embrace some of the beauty around you. Even the most desolate areas can have their own unique beauty to them. And know that you are never alone. Print This