Print(8) Jesus in the Desert.
If there is one verse above all others in the Scriptures that confronts my theology about good and evil and the subject of temptation, it surely is this one.
"Then Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by the Devil". Matt 4:1 NLT
Led……by the Holy Spirit….to be tempted by the Devil. It sounds to me like some kind of conspiracy; a divine ambush or set-up. No wonder Jesus taught us to pray, "….and lead us not into temptation…"!! Yet the truth is that this experience in the wilderness for Jesus was a test. The Garden of Eden was a test for Adam and Eve; would they obey or disobey? Mount Moriah was a test for Abraham; would he offer up Isaac or not? This wilderness/desert encounter for Jesus was a test; would He succumb to the devil's trap or not.
Those seasons that I have spent in a spiritual desert have usually involved some kind of a test; an opportunity to resist the enemy's overtures and affirm my commitment to God and His Kingdom. Sometimes I've been victorious. Sometimes I've failed miserably.
Jesus was put to the test in the same way that Adam & Eve were tested. The nature of the temptations was essentially the same. Adam and Eve failed the test. Jesus was victorious. (Thanks be to God!!). Satan's attempts to get Jesus to compromise His commitment to do the Father's will were unsuccessful.
If I can grasp the perspective that God sometimes allows me (even leads me) into the desert place so that He can refine me, then maybe I can welcome such experiences. If, as Jesus said, the servant is not greater than the master, I should not be surprised when such experiences or seasons come my way. In fact, I should be surprised if they don't!
I'm in something of a desert experience right at this time. My appetite for "Kingdom fare" (prayer, reading God's Word, meditation) has diminished. In other words, I'm "off my food". This leads to feelings of vulnerability, weakness, guilt, aloneness and lack of motivation. How long will this last? What if it never ends?
I think it's time to revisit my log entry of a few days back when I was reflecting about Elijah. It seems to me that I have more biblical data about his desert experience than any of the others I have mentioned thus far. Maybe there are some keys there that will help me understand and benefit from these desert experiences.
