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 Lent beckons us, a time for looking inward, a spiritual refresh. We’re asked to walk into the ‘desert’ with Jesus. It sounds empty, a wasteland, but it’s often in desert spaces that we can encounter God most clearly. Like Jesus’ forty days alone, we’re invited to shed the clutter of our lives and face what’s deep inside. This week’s reflections will delve into what the desert means in scripture and spiritual stories, how this time of seeming nothingness can actually be full of God’s giving, testing, and close connection. We’ll ponder how the desert, where things are scarce, shows us how much God really provides, and how being alone can make us see his constant presence. We invite you to let the ‘desert’ become a holy place for growing spiritually and encountering God. A collective reflection on God’s grace and our chances for renewal Monday, March 10, 2025 |
| Choose the desert! Isaiah 35:1-10 As we explored yesterday, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert. After 40 days of denying himself, he faced the tempter, resisted, fought, and won. Jesus chose to rely upon God, his word, and his Spirit. For some of us, the temptation to avoid the desert might be a gain or victory. However, it was the first place the Holy Spirit led Jesus to following his baptism. This is a big hint for us! Choose the desert! God sustained Jesus. After the great battle, not only did God provide for his natural needs, but he was also refreshed by the angels of heaven. In this chapter, Jesus refers to a similar crossroads faced by the exiles in Isaiah 35. They were in a place of complete desolation, they’d been wandering through the desert for 40 years; they were depleted, and dependent on God for even the very water they drank. It is during this time of dryness that the prophet Isaiah forecasts that a time of ‘refreshing’ is coming; when the parched land will rejoice. He declares that out of desolation, new life will come forth. During this future restoration, desolate land will be transformed, and redemption and renewal of God’s people will occur through the arrival of the Messiah. Restoration of the world around them and their standing as a people is coming, and there will be a joyful return to God’s presence. Like me, maybe you too have known moments of desperation. I clearly remember the night when I came to the end of myself. Where I chose to follow the Holy Spirit through the desert, on a journey that I really didn’t want to take. There the enemy caused me to question who I was, what my motives were, and much more. It was a lengthy and exhausting journey. By God’s grace, life came from desolation. Redemption and renewal have followed. My life is a reflection of his redemptive power at work in me. I know the same can be true for you. Do you know someone who has lost everything and is now at the point of desperation? How can you help them find the path that leads to God? Have you known a period of spiritual dryness? Which part of this passage brings you hope? By Shelly Huston |
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