Into the Desert.
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.”
(Matthew 4:1)
As I was reflecting about entering this season of Lent—still in the midst of so much tension in our world, so much uncertainty and separation—the image that came to mind immediately was that of Jesus being led into the desert. Perhaps we, too, are invited into the desert. What will we encounter there?
I think back to my time as a Volunteer in Haiti, and I remember how I left many things behind in order to begin life as a Volunteer. Committing to living as a Volunteer in Haiti meant leaving behind many little comforts. It meant accepting limited communication with family and friends. And, it meant learning to trust God to provide. I would have never anticipated it at the time, but looking back, it was like entering the desert.
Jesus is tempted and tested in the desert. It is precisely through that time that the identity that had just been spoken over him, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17), is questioned and tested (Matthew 4:3; 4:6). And yet, through the grace he had to resist, it is also where his identity is strengthened.
THP Volunteer Kristin Soukup ('13-'15), center, with students at Louverture Cleary School in 2015.
When everything else is stripped away, we come face-to-face with the most essential questions. What matters the most? Who and what do I love? Where can I find hope?
It is through seasons that are like deserts that I believe I have grown the most in my relationship with the Lord. When I have stepped away from little comforts and distractions, a job, a home, when I am far from family and friends—these are the times that fundamental questions have arisen. When faced with the intensity and challenges of the work in Haiti, I had to come close in prayer to the only One who could provide the strength I needed. It was only in depending on God and trying to keep my eyes on Him that I could persevere in the hardest moments.
I wonder if going into the desert is an invitation. An invitation to ask those questions. To discover where we have been relying on ourselves or seeking hope in other places but God. And, most importantly, to go to Him and grow closer in relationship. Everything else flows out from this.
May we allow the Lord through his Spirit to lead us into the desert this Lent. Even if tempted, even when uncomfortable, if you let Him meet you, let Him provide, you will grow closer to Him. And, from Him comes our hope and the strength we have to give of ourselves in love.