Are You in the Wilderness?
“He…guided them in the wilderness.” Ps 78:52 NKJV
The wilderness is a place where growth comes hard, water is scarce, and you plod on when there’s no end in sight. You can have a wilderness experience anywhere: at a graveside, in an unemployment line, or in a divorce court. In the wilderness: (1) There seems to be no way out. In Scripture the number forty represents struggle. Noah experienced storms for forty days. Moses spent forty years alone in the desert. Jesus was tempted by the Devil for forty days. (2) You begin to think the worst. The wilderness weakens your resolve. It makes you look for an easy way out. A troubled marriage can make you look the wrong way at somebody else’s husband or wife. It’s the breeding ground for dishonesty, depression, even pornography—things you normally wouldn’t find appealing. “Jesus… was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil” (Lk 4:1-2 NLT). Notice, going face to face with the Devil was God’s idea. Jesus, the last Adam, came to succeed where the first Adam failed. “Because one person disobeyed…many became sinners. But because one righteous person obeyed…many will be made righteous” (Ro 5:19 NLT). Jesus overcame the Devil by using God’s Word. Three times He said to Satan, “It is written” (Lk 4:4, 8, 12). And God’s Word is still your wilderness-survival guide. After using it, Jesus left the wilderness clothed in the power of God’s Spirit, ready to launch His ministry. And God can do the same for you. “He…guided them in the wilderness…He led them on safely, so that they did not fear” (Ps 78:52-53 NKJV).
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