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Into the Wilderness: Communion

But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. Luke 5:16 (NASB)

We’re winding down our study of the wilderness in Scripture with this next-to-last post. We’ve seen a lot happens in the wilderness. Wandering. It is also a place of transition. The restoration of relationships can happen in the wilderness. Sometimes it is an opportunity for instruction. Last week it was a place of temptation. But if we look closely at the gospels, we’ll see that Jesus regularly spent time in the wilderness. Why? Communion. Not the bread and wine kind, but the sharing intimate fellowship kind.

Jesus is God, and He enjoyed a unity with the Father beyond our comprehension. To redeem us, Christ had to set aside His glory and take on humanity. It is no wonder that He needed, longed for, enjoyed His times of prayer and communion with the Father. Those times left Him focused and energized for the work before Him. Throughout the gospel of John especially, Jesus attests that He is on assignment from the Father and He only does as instructed. (See John 5:36 for example.)

Do we, like Jesus, need and long for those times of intimate fellowship with the Father? We certainly need them. God help us long for them. No doubt, those times would help us regain perspective that God is sovereign and His kingdom work is our highest priority and privilege.

Communing with the Father wasn’t the only reason Jesus headed for the desolate, wilderness places. Look at these verses from Mark.

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place, Mark 6:30-32

Jesus was watching out for His guys. He knew they had just finished an emotionally and spiritually draining mission. Even though they had great results to report and were excited and energized, He knew they needed to decompress and recharge.

We would be wise to see the wisdom in Christ’s actions. He wanted them to take some time away with Him after the great success. Why is this wise? We would keep going as long as things are going well, wouldn’t we? Build on the momentum. Seize the opportunity. Jesus has a bigger picture in mind. He knows He is preparing them to be servant leaders after He returns to the Father. His disciples cannot shepherd His church without close

The other consideration is that this break helps inoculate the disciples against the idea that the success is all their doing. He reminds them in John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”

Pride is sneaky and regular communion with Jesus, after success as well as failure, can help keep it in check.

One more quick point– the crowds weren’t far behind the disciples during this break. They trekked around the Sea of Galilee, and once they caught up with Jesus and the disciples, it was back to work. Don’t put off those opportunities to get away with Jesus and tell Him everything.

(After teaching the crowds and it got toward dinnertime, the disciples suggested Jesus send them home. Jesus instead challenged the disciples to feed them. You can read more about the feeding of the 5,000 in each of the gospels.)

Next week, we’ll finish our time in the wilderness.

Into the Wilderness: Temptation

By Paula Wiseman

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1

We continue our study of the wilderness in Scripture. And we’ve seen a lot happens in the wilderness. Wandering. It is also a place of transition. The restoration of relationships can happen in the wilderness. Sometimes it is an opportunity for instruction. This week we will see it can be a time of temptation.

Jesus Himself was tempted during a time in the wilderness. Now, His experience is unique because first, the Spirit directed Him to the wilderness, knowing that the temptation was coming. Second, it was necessary to prove Christ’s sinlessness so He was more than qualified to be the sacrifice for our sins. But if we look closely at His experience, we can see some lessons for us.

Jesus was physically weakened after a forty-day fast, but He was also alone (humanly speaking). Now I tend to believe that what we see recorded in the gospels is only the final round of temptation. I doubt Satan stood by for forty days and then tried three temptations and left. I believe the temptations were constant through those forty days, making it an emotionally, mentally and spiritually exhausting time as well.

Temptation is a danger for us when we are isolated and exhausted.

Circumstances cut us off from our support system. It’s hard to find enough good, spiritual food, and it’s not long before the tempter is whispering in our ear, drawing our eyes away, sowing rotten seeds in our hearts and minds. “You are alone. God is tired of hearing your complaints. It’s not worth the effort.” These recent days have certainly proven that the temptations to despair, or to laziness in our faith, or to any number of thoughts and actions that don’t honor God, are a very real and very formidable challenge.

Jesus was led into the wilderness after a very public affirmation of His Sonship and His mission. There was no time to simply enjoy that victory before the attacks came.

Temptation is a danger after times of confirmation or victory.

Maybe that’s when our pride opens the door. Maybe our guard is lowered. Maybe we are frustrated that the good times ended and we are in the wilderness.

Many, many commentators have written extensively on Jesus’s use of Scripture in the face of intense temptation. We would be wise to follow His example of knowing the Word and being able to apply it to our lives. (The whole reason I write is to demonstrate that.)

In the wilderness (or anywhere else), truth is our best weapon against temptation.

When we hear, “You are alone,” the truth is Jesus said He would never leave you or forsake you. When we hear, “You don’t matter,” the truth is God loves you with an everlasting love. And on and on. Lean on truth, God’s proclaimed truth, rather than our feelings or our circumstances or even our own take on things.

Satan fights dirty and he will come after you at the worst possible times, especially wilderness times. Reliance on Christ and His word can flip the script and remake the temptations in a wilderness time an opportunity to grow stronger in faith, move closer to God and bring Him honor and glory.

This time of temptation was not Jesus’s only time in the wilderness. Next week, we’ll look at another time He got away from it all.

Into the Wilderness: Instruction

By Paula

Apply your heart to instruction, And your ears to words of knowledge. Proverbs 23:12

We continue our study of the wilderness in Scripture. We’ve seen it is a place of wandering. But it is also a place of transition. Last week through Jacob’s story we saw that the restoration of relationships can happen in the wilderness. This week we’ll consider the apostle Paul and his time in the wilderness, a time of personal instruction.

Paul was a rising young star among the Pharisees. He had studied with the most respected rabbi of his day, Gamaliel. He was born a Roman citizen, affording him all the political advantages in his society. Of course all of that changed when he met Jesus. We can read about this encounter in Acts chapter 9 (and Paul retells the story in chapters 22 an 26).

From Acts and Galatians 1, we can piece together what happened next. After preaching the gospel for a short time in Damascus, Paul left for the Arabian desert for three years before he returned to Damascus then headed to Jerusalem. Because neither Luke nor Paul gives us details, that opens the door for a lot of speculation. Some have parsed the original words translated “Arabian desert” and determined that they actually referred to the area of Sinai. That leads them to conclude Paul spent the time in prayer, study and meditation reevaluating his understanding of the Law in light of the gospel. From Paul’s writing in Romans and Galatians, it is clear he had a good handle on that, so that’s a possibility.

Others believe Paul spent the time in the same three-year training program the other apostles got, receiving personal instruction from Jesus Christ Himself. In Galatians 1:16, Paul says he did not consult or confer with any man, any “flesh and blood.” They point to 1 Corinthians 15:8 as corroborating evidence. This is also a possibility.

No matter how exactly that wilderness instruction time came together or worked itself out, Paul benefited from it and we are still benefiting from it. Besides the deep theological truths Paul explained for us, we can learn from his example.

We need instruction – If the great apostle needed to learn and grow, how much more do we need it? For Paul, it was urgent and compelling enough that he set everything else aside while he learned. We need to be humble enough to receive instruction

Further instruction equips us for our calling – In Acts 9:15, Jesus tells us that Paul was called specially to carry the gospel to Gentiles and kings. But he didn’t embark on that mission until after his time in the wilderness.

The Holy Spirit makes the best teacher – This is not to say that we can’t learn from brothers and sisters who are farther along in their walk than we are. I mean, there wouldn’t be much point in these posts if that were the case. But the very best teacher is the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised He would explain things, guide us into all the truth (John 16:13). Sometimes, we need to get rid of the distractions in our lives and get away to the wilderness where we can listen.

If Jesus personally instructed Paul in Arabia, it wasn’t His first time in the wilderness. Next week, we’ll look at Jesus’s own wilderness experience.

Into the Wilderness: Restoration

By Paula

For the LORD will restore the excellence of Jacob Nahum 2:2a

A wilderness is anywhere that’s uncultivated, uninhabited or undisturbed by human activity. Metaphorically it is a bewildering situation. As it turns out, Scripture has a lot to say about the wilderness and what happens there. For some a lot of wandering happens. For others, like Elijah, transition to the next thing begins in the wilderness. Sometimes, like with Jacob, a time alone and separated can bring restoration.

You can read the details of Jacob’s life beginning in Genesis 25. You’re probably familiar with the major events. Jacob gets the blessing and birthright from Esau in a couple of shady deals. He runs for his life to his uncle Laban’s place where he spends the next twenty years. While there, he marries two wives, takes on two concubines, has a big family, and amasses quite a fortune in livestock. He senses a shift in attitude with father-in-law/uncle the rest of the family, so he packs up and slips away.

Restoration with Laban

Laban finds out and takes out after them, catching up to Jacob and his party seven days later in the mountains of Gilead. A wilderness. The very name means raw or rugged.

In Genesis 31, Jacob and Laban had a very frank exchange. Jacob vented his anger at Laban’s taking advantage of him and his labor. But at last the two men make a covenant, the covenant of Mizpah. “May the LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from another. Genesis 31:49. Along with that was a promise from each man never to harm the other. With the relationship restored, Laban got up the next morning, blessed his family and left.

But Jacob had more restoration ahead of him, particularly with his brother Esau. That would happen at a wilderness at Mahanaim near the Jabbok River.

Restoration with Esau

The last words Jacob had heard from his twin brother were a very angry death threat. Now as Jacob passed ever closer to Canaan, word would surely get back to Esau. Jacob made the first move and sent messengers (with lots of gifts) to Esau. Esau responds that he will come out to meet Jacob . . . With four hundred. Genesis 32:7 says Jacob was terrified and distressed by this news. Jacob makes preparations but then he prays, “Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him,” Genesis 32:11. This is the first recorded prayer for Jacob since he left home back in chapter 28. But then night falls . . .

Restoration with the covenant-keeping God

Yes, Jacob had prayed to God, but he wasn’t confident God would answer it, so he devised a plan of just how they would meet Esau and he rehearsed it with all his servants. He sent his wives on ahead with the servants and he was left alone. At night. In the wilderness.

In Genesis 32:24 he begins an all-night wrestling match with a man who was clearly more than mortal. (My son was a wrestler in high school. I can’t imagine the stamina and strength necessary to wrestle all night. And Jacob was an old guy by now.) Jacob had been wrestling, scheming, working his whole life to obtain something God, in grace, had already promised him.

The wrestling match proved that his way would never succeed. It was when Jacob let go that the blessing was pronounced. Later, in verse 30, he marvels “I have seen God’s face.” Perhaps literally, but to see His face is to have His favor. Jacob finally understood God’s covenant blessing irrevocably rested on him.

The next morning, Esau ran to meet Jacob, embraced him and the tears flowed (33:4). Jacob’s prayer was answered. The relationship was restored. The next time we see the brothers, they have come together to bury their father, Isaac in 35:29.

So after a lot of narrative, let’s look at some application. Time in the wilderness can underscore and provide the opportunity for restoration. Do we have relationships with others that need mending? What about our relationship with God? Have we paid Him lip service while wearing ourselves out trying to do everything? Are we trying to earn His blessing and His favor when He has already given it?

What needs to be restored in your wilderness time?

Jacob isn’t the only one who learned some lessons in the wilderness. Next week we’ll see more about how time in the wilderness can be a time of instruction.

Into the Wilderness: Transition

By Paula

But [Elijah] went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 1 Kings 19:4

The dictionary defines a wilderness as uncultivated, uninhabited or undisturbed by human activity. A wilderness is also pathless. Metaphorically it is a bewildering situation. No doubt many of us have had our own wilderness experiences- or have that to look forward to. As it turns out, Scripture has a lot to say about the wilderness and what happens there. Last week we looked at God’s care for Israel while they wandered. Today, let’s look at Elijah’s time in the wilderness.

In 1 Kings chapter 18, Elijah experiences one of the greatest spiritual victories in Scripture when God sends down fire from heaven in response to Elijah’s prayer. Eight hundred fifty false prophets are eliminated and it seems the people finally recognize that Yahweh alone is God. Here in the very next chapter, he is under a death sentence and running for his life.

It is easy to look at Elijah and wonder how in the world he could be so discouraged after such an amazing experience. But that’s just it. Elijah was completely confused. He stood strong. He obeyed God. He faced down the opposition. And everything fell apart. That wasn’t how it was supposed to work.

Exhausted physically and emotionally. Alone. “I don’t know what’s going on anymore. Lord, I can’t keep doing this.” Maybe you can identify.

What Elijah didn’t know, couldn’t know until God told him was that the LORD was working behind the scenes, getting pieces in place for the next steps He would take. Elijah’s time in the wilderness was a season of preparation for the transitions that were coming. God was ready to clean house in Israel and Syria and He had a right-hand man chosen for Elijah. He spoke to Elijah in the still, small voice and gave him three tasks.

First transition task – And the LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 1 Kings 19:15

Hazael of Syria was having his own wilderness experience. However the sovereign LORD of Israel and Judah is also Lord over Syria. God showed Elijah that He was still in control of everything.

One of the key things to remember during a wilderness experience is that no matter what we feel – and our feelings may be 100 percent reasonable and justified – no matter what we feel, the reality is, God is in control. Things may be out of our control. Things are never out of God’s control.

Second transition task – And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel (1 Kings 19:16a).

God had not forgotten about the Baal worship in Israel and the corrupt leadership that perpetuated the ungodliness. Judgment was coming for Jezebel and the house of Ahab. It was a few years ahead, but God was getting the pieces positioned.

God does not ignore sin, ungodliness, and injustice, nor has He let it slide. Judgment is coming. It is coming at a time and in a way that glorifies God.

Third transition task – [A]nd Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place (1 Kings 19:16b).

God showed His compassion and grace for His prophet and answers his prayer. God allows Elijah to retire, but not before designating a successor. This gives Elijah the chance to pass on what he knew, what he had experienced to a younger man. Mentoring Elisha validated Elijah’s work. It renewed his commitment and his energy to keep going. It proved to Elijah that he was not alone in the service of God. When Elijah was called to heaven, it was a moment of triumph.

God sees and hears our frustrations and He knows how best to alleviate them. We have the freedom to be honest and open with God.

Elijah shows us the wilderness can be a place of transition. Maybe you are there now. Do you need a reminder that God is in control? Or perhaps a reassurance that Gods sees and knows and is at work? Do you need to know God hears you in the middle of your confusion? Is there someone God is ready to bring alongside you?

Times of transition get us on the same page with God. Learn to see them as a gift, a time of God revealing Himself.

The wilderness can also be an opportunity for restoration. Join me next week to see how.

Into the Wilderness: Wandering

By Paula

And the LORD’s anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone. Numbers 32:13

The dictionary defines a wilderness as uncultivated, uninhabited or undisturbed by human activity. A wilderness is also pathless. Metaphorically it is a bewildering situation.

No doubt many of us have had our own wilderness experiences- or have that to look forward to. As it turns out, Scripture has a lot to say about the wilderness and what happens there. We are most familiar with wandering, and we’ll look at that shortly.

But the wilderness is also a place of transition, restoration, instruction, temptation and communion. Over the next few weeks we’ll take a closer look at what happens when we go into the wilderness.

We know the story of Israel’s rebellion in the desert. God brought to the very edge of the Promised Land but they refused to cross over and take it. Because of that fateful decision, God turned them back to the desert of Sinai for forty years until the entire generation died off.

It is easy to focus on the tragedy of Israel’s disobedience and loss. Yes, it was a time of judgment. Yes, God’s anger was roused against His people. But God was doing so much more.

He sustained them – Nehemiah explains, “Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, They lacked nothing; Their clothes did not wear out And their feet did not swell.” Nehemiah 9:21 The judgment did not fall without a provision for how God was going to take care of His people through it. This was an important reminder for the generation returning from Babylonian captivity, a seventy-year judgment. God sustained His people in the wilderness and He sustained them in Babylon.

We can also take heart. When our rebellion and sin pushes us out of God’s will, He does not abandon us. No, even then He sustains us.

He did miracles – In Deuteronomy 8, Moses recounts how God provided water from a rock and manna. Their crowd of former slaves defeated sizable armies. When the fiery serpents came in another judgment, God granted miraculous relief. There was the cloud and the fire. The Jordan River parted, and on and on. God never ceased working on behalf of His people.

Even when we feel distant from God, He continues to work in mercy and grace all around us.

He proved them – “And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not” (Deuteronomy 8:2). This is not to say that God didn’t already know, but after their time in the wilderness, Israel knew that the big promises they made back in Exodus 19:8 (“All that the LORD has spoken we will do.”) couldn’t be half-hearted lip service. We see this in the New Testament as followers of Jesus walked away when the reality of discipleship became clear.

During our days in the wilderness we learn if we are following God or our version of Him, and what our motivation is.

He restored them – The promises of a land flowing with milk and honey were not forfeited because of Israel’s failures. The realization of those promises was delayed. Israel remained God’s chosen people and He restored them to Himself once His anger had been satisfied.

No matter what, a wilderness experience is never permanent. God is always ready and willing to restore us.

Several of the psalms celebrate God’s care for Israel while they were in the wilderness. It is a testimony to His patience and His grace toward His people. However, we must never presume upon that grace and choose to transgress against Him. Paul breaks down that argument in Romans 6.

Not every wilderness experience is a result of our rebellion. Next week we’ll see how time away is sometimes necessary for a transition to the next thing God has for us.

Want to read more about the Wilderness?
The Wilderness
Hearing the Voice in the Wilderness