March 20

March 20, 2020

Luke 4

 Luke 4:1-2  Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert.

In the Bible the "desert" is a terrible place. A desert is generally a dry, barren and uncivilized place. People don't live in deserts; they don't go to deserts for vacations. In Biblical times people believed Satan and his evil demons lived there. It was believed to be haunted. Symbolically, the desert is known as a place of testing and trial. So, one goal of life is to avoid any trips into the dreaded "desert."

Yet, here we see Jesus was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit.  What is going on?

There have been many famous desert experiences in the Bible.

Moses spent 40 years living in the backside of a desert.

The Israelites spend 40 years wandering around one.

The prophet Elijah had a spiritual retreat in a desert.

In our Psalm today David was writing from a desert.

Here is the truth about "desert" experiences. While they are very difficult to go through, they are places where faith is forged into something that is strong and resilient.  Faith rarely grows when skies are sunny and blue.  

Right now, the coronavirus has put every one of us in a "desert" experience. Sickness, death, anxiety, unemployment, isolation, and loneliness are creating tremendous hardship in our lives. But is that all this "desert" experience can produce?   

After Jesus' 40 days in the desert, his faith was rock solid, he had a clear picture of his identity and he had an unshakable mission for his life. 

I would suggest that desert experiences, while very difficult, are very instructive.

This is what we can learn as we go through our "desert experience."

1. New levels of dependence on God.  

2. How to believe the promises of God.

3. How to win the battle with temptation.  

4. How to study God's Word with new insights.

5. What is really important in life, by rearranging our priorities.

So, if you find yourself in the "desert" today, don't despair, grow. Stop asking, "why me," and change the question to, "What do you want me to learn?"

 

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"Multiplying leaders to change the world"