Luke 4:1-2 NLT
'Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the River Jordan. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.'
Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent. The word “Lent” means “lengthening” and identifies the growing hours of daylight as spring advances. Symbolically, it speaks of the approaching light of Christ, with the resurrection dispelling darkness once and for all. Easter is the moment darkness is defeated and God re-established friendship with all humanity. Today, in many traditions, Christians will receive an ash cross upon their foreheads, a sign of penitence and reminder that it is “through many tribulations” that we enter God’s kingdom (Acts 14:22, NKJV).
In an instant, the Spirit leads Jesus from the glory of his baptism to the wasteland of the desert. How often have I fallen from the heights of worship and wonder to the despair of doubt and despondency? The desert is an essential element in the life of every disciple. Israel must cross the desert before entering the Promised Land, Elijah flees from the moment of his greatest triumph, depressed he enters the loneliness of the wilderness.  The desert is where we learn to trust and grow in God.
The desert simplifies all of life. It is a place that I either enter or die within, or somewhere I learn to survive through sheer persistence. The desert cannot support life. Only when we find God are we able to ensure both nourishment and survival. Jesus fasted for there was nothing to support life in the wilderness. However, he fed off the bread of life and discovered what he later taught, that we do not live by bread alone. Israel discovered this with the miraculous provision of the manna.
QUESTION: Does the desert experience call to you repel you? Or are these opposites in equal tension?
PRAYER: My heart is set on you, God, and I choose to persevere in my quest to deepen my friendship with you.

Released on 26 Feb 2020