We all struggle with the
difficult seasons of Christian life. Far from the mountaintop lie valleys of despair,
and beyond, vast desert wastelands where God seems far off and we feel we’ve
lost our bearing... missed the turn sign on The Way. Desert experiences can be
a spiritual banquet for the willing Christian. Differing from the valley where
adversity finds our address, and the mountain top where the presence of God
prevails, in the desert there is no “still small voice”, there is no voice at
all.
Elijah’s desert experience
reminded him not to fear, that God was still The Boss and in control. David’s
desert experience reminded him that God had not left him or forsaken him, and to
put his faith in God, not in the experience. Our Lord had two desert experiences.
The first, His forty day temptation in the wilderness, tested and approved His
heart, that the enemy had no place or access in Him, and He “returned in the
power of the Spirit.” The second was in
the garden of Gethsemane where our Lord experienced the extreme anxiety of
separation from God at the worst possible time. The enemy attempted to crush
His will to obedience... and failed: “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Although scripture highlights the
experiences specific to each case, it is probable these experiences were shared
by all:
*Fear not, for I AM with you,
and I AM in control. *I will never leave you or forsake you, so have faith in
God. *Give no place to the devil. Be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.
* God’s will must be endured, and therefore can be – God’s will can always be
endured!
The
desert is an opportunity to learn more about God and ourselves. Left to our own
devices we would never leave the temple, never venture into the barren desert
wilderness. God speaks to us in many different ways we fail to recognize when
basking in His presence. In the desert we begin to “see”... perceive, with the
eyes of the Spirit. The lessons of the desert experience are similar, though
wrapped individually for each of us. That
we are never ever alone and have nothing to fear, for God is in control. That
we must plow up the fallow ground in our heart and sow it with God’s word,
leaving no access point for the enemy to gain entry. That we must be filled and
continually refilled with the Holy Spirit... God’s power in us, willing and
doing of His good pleasure. And, that we must will to do His will, be obedient,
for God’s will is purposeful – He’s a good good Daddy – and can always be
endured. God told Elijah “Go back the way you came”: Take a trip back through
your desert absorbing the experience completely then carry on God’s work. The
primary reason for the desert experience, the critical lesson, is, after all, trust,
our overwhelming need to totally trust God in all matters of life and death –
in all matters... period – for there is nothing that trust in God cannot
defeat... nothing!
“GO
BACK THE WAY YOU CAME”
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