INTO THE WILDERNESS
SCRIPTURE
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
-Luke 4:1
Some translations of this scripture say "desert" instead of "wilderness." My personal deserts aren't hot, sandy expanses where a merciless sun threatens and thirst could kill me. My deserts are places where I feel alone in all the wrong ways. Illness that drags on or a recovery that doesn't go fast enough can be a desert.Moving to a new place where you don't know anyone and aren't known can be a desert.
How we handle our deserts usually depends on whom we listen to when we experience them. Isolation can play tricks on us. Yet isolation also gets us away from crowds and activities that keep us from hearing God. Deserts give us the opportunity to listen to the right voice. Because it is not usually the loudest voice, we must choose wisely.
Jesus started his ministry with a trip to the desert, where only three voices existed: his, his Father's, and the tempter's. Jesus refuted the tempter's voice. When he did, the voice of his Father became the only voice he wanted to hear.
Don't get caught in a tug-of-war between the put-downs and unnecessary questions of the wrong voice. Don't assume that self-talk is always true. Instead, listen for the voice that settles you with an affirmation you would never give yourself. Listen for the voice that speaks with hope for what you can do and be. Then, just as Jesus left his desert with new resolve for his mission, you will too.
BURNING QUESTIONS
1. Where or when have you experienced a desert? What voice did you hear first?
2. What helps you hear and recognize God's voice in the desert? How can you practice today?
AFFIRMATION
As God speaks in my desert, I will do what it takes to recognize his voice quickly.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.
SCRIPTURE
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
-Luke 4:1
Some translations of this scripture say "desert" instead of "wilderness." My personal deserts aren't hot, sandy expanses where a merciless sun threatens and thirst could kill me. My deserts are places where I feel alone in all the wrong ways. Illness that drags on or a recovery that doesn't go fast enough can be a desert.Moving to a new place where you don't know anyone and aren't known can be a desert.
How we handle our deserts usually depends on whom we listen to when we experience them. Isolation can play tricks on us. Yet isolation also gets us away from crowds and activities that keep us from hearing God. Deserts give us the opportunity to listen to the right voice. Because it is not usually the loudest voice, we must choose wisely.
Jesus started his ministry with a trip to the desert, where only three voices existed: his, his Father's, and the tempter's. Jesus refuted the tempter's voice. When he did, the voice of his Father became the only voice he wanted to hear.
Don't get caught in a tug-of-war between the put-downs and unnecessary questions of the wrong voice. Don't assume that self-talk is always true. Instead, listen for the voice that settles you with an affirmation you would never give yourself. Listen for the voice that speaks with hope for what you can do and be. Then, just as Jesus left his desert with new resolve for his mission, you will too.
BURNING QUESTIONS
1. Where or when have you experienced a desert? What voice did you hear first?
2. What helps you hear and recognize God's voice in the desert? How can you practice today?
AFFIRMATION
As God speaks in my desert, I will do what it takes to recognize his voice quickly.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.
Posted in Lent