And the Spirit immediately drove [Jesus] out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. (Mark 1:12-13)
This last week, Pastor Doug asked me if I was going to change the name of my Desert Reflections weekly page. The name began when we were living in Arizona—in a desert. Now we have moved to Washington State in a rainy, heavily forested area. Would some other name be more appropriate? I have been contemplating the situation, and for now at least, the name stays. Why?
We are experiencing a most bizarre year and situation. You know about how topsy-turvy everything seems to be. Nothing seems “normal.” Not only is there anxiety about health and wealth, weather and climate, but also who our leaders should be and what the future will be like.
I keep thinking about Jesus being sent by the Spirit of God into the wilderness. Wilderness to me equates to a desert place—a deserted place—where one is given the opportunity to think, to re-evaluate, to plan, or to discern. It is a place and time to get in touch with who we are and whose we are. It gives us a chance to choose who will govern and guide our lives. It is a time to tune out the noises that work so hard to convince us, to change us, to rule us. What direction is the right way? A desert time is what I need the most right now and I suspect you do too.
In the Old Testament, Moses was chosen by God to guide his people out of the tyranny of Pharaoh in Egypt. They trudged across watery areas into a wilderness, a desert, where they lived for a long time. Sometimes they thought back to those days under Pharaoh and fantasized how good they were. But that was what it was, a big fantasy. It was in the wilderness, however, that God showed them how much God cared for them and assured them God would feed them: giving them manna, quail, and water. In that desert land, God taught these desert residents how to live together in harmony with God and with one another (The Ten Commandments). God chastised his people for their turning away from God towards idols but with the intercession of Moses, God renewed God’s covenant with them—I will be your God, and you will be my people. You can read the story, called The Exodus, beginning with Exodus 12.
So, perhaps Desert Reflections is a suitable title for these thoughts I share with you via social media. We are not physically in the desert but we all need time to emotionally and spiritually step away from our environment to be in the presence of God’s Spirit to evaluate and discern what is truly important not only for us but for all who share this planet with us. Join me in the adventure. Let me know what is helpful for you. Let us seek God’s plan for us, our community, nation and world today and tomorrow.
Prayer: God, here I am, open to your Word and to your will for my life and for those around me. Help me hear your voice. Amen