Then Jesus was led (guided) by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness (desert) to be tempted (tested and tried) by the devil. – Matthew 4:1, Amplified Bible (AMP)

The idea of “wandering in the wilderness” doesn’t gin up happy thoughts. Instead, it usually produces thoughts of pain, anguish, and despair. It was in the wilderness that Moses spent forty years away from his people, running from the consequences of his murderous actions, and giving up on the idea that he could ever free his people from slavery. It was to the wilderness that Elijah fled in fear for his life, and when he got there he was so weary of body and soul that he asked God to take his life. And, it was in the wilderness that Christ battled hunger, thirst, and temptation as Satan attacked Him with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

Despite such proofs that the wilderness is an awful place to be, we must remember that the wilderness indeed has its benefits. Whether we run to the wilderness of our own accord – like Moses and Elijah did – or whether the Holy Spirit directs us there – like He did in Jesus’ case – God will use our wilderness experiences to draw us closer to Him. God used the wilderness to replace Moses’ pride and self-reliance with humility and God-dependence. God used the wilderness to teach Elijah that man’s strength has limits, that God’s strength doesn’t, and that God is able to preserve those who believe in Him. And, God used the wilderness to establish Christ as THE example of how Christians ought to combat the Enemy when he wields the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life in our way.

The wilderness is a hard place, but it is in the wilderness that we learn our best lessons about God. It is there that we get to know God more, that we learn to love Him more, and that we decide to obey Him more. It is in the wilderness that we learn that God is stronger than all of our problems, all of our enemies, and all of our fears. And, it is in the wilderness we discover that God’s way is the best way for us, even if the circumstances we end up with are not the circumstances we want.

God is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother, but you cannot know how close He’ll stick until He has stayed by your side during a wilderness wandering.

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