Abiding in the Wilderness
Don’t be frustrated or spiral out of control when you go through a wilderness experience. Take abiding in Christ seriously. Embrace the fact that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus AND He promised to never leave or forsake us. We are his children and he loves us deeper than the Judean wilderness valley. Let’s be intentional to abide, even in wilderness times.
After Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. I took this picture on a hike through the Judean wilderness. The trail we were on comes out in Jericho. When we started our hike we were in cloud covered cold wind and rain. Within two hours we were hot and sweaty removing as many layers as we could to stay cool. Can you imagine 40 days like this? Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness to be tempted. like this Jesus responds to the temptations in the wilderness by quoting from Deuteronomy. When Jesus was tempted to turn the stones into bread, he responded by saying, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” As Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy the storyline of the children of Israel is illuminated. God supernaturally gave the children of Israel manna to eat. They were in the wilderness and God abided with them. He Supernaturally provided food for them. God Supernaturally provided more, He preserved their clothes. He did not let their clothes wear out.
Deut. 8:2 says, “Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.” God used the wilderness for three specific things.
God used the wilderness to humble his children. God used the wilderness to test his children. God used the wilderness to see if his children would walk in obedience.
When Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness we see Jesus modeling for us the same things He tested the children of Israel with. Jesus was humble, Jesus was tested, and Jesus walked in obedience. Jesus is our model. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus, fully human and fully God, shows us how to respond in the wilderness.
As we trust God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in wilderness times remember that apart from God we can do nothing. John 15:5
Be Encouraged Today!
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