Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. James 1:2-3
Have you ever camped in the mountains in the ruggedness of it all? No electricity, no heat, no lights at night? You have to learn how to cook over a campfire—NO comfy couches or chairs. You have to make or own entertainment because well you have to tv and not data for your phone. I don’t know if many of us would last. We would complain and grumble and go back home. How about life in general. Do you ever wish you could go back to a time in your life that you just loved that time frame?
We are going to follow Jesus up the mountaintop. A spiritual mountaintop. We will learn about His period of wilderness. Let’s start with Matthew 3:16-17. We start with Jesus’ baptism. I don’t know about you, but I would love to be a fly flying around witnessing everything about His life, except maybe His crucifixion. Could you imagine seeing the Spirit of God descending like a dove and hearing God speak? At this moment, it seems like everything in Jesus’ life is coming together, and all is wonderful.
Spiritual Mountaintops moments aren’t the proof of God’s love or favor. They are memorable moments that remind us of a time when we felt a special connection to God. These can happen in good moments or in times of trials. For me, most of my connection times are in times of trials. Can you think of a time when you had a spiritual mountaintop moment with God?
Let’s read Matthew 4:1, Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1. Wow! How things can change. The wilderness is an isolated, rugged environment away from the comforts of home. Wilderness is a picture of hardship and difficulty. A season of wilderness can look like this:
- a long-lasting situation that seems to hit the “pause” button in your life.
- a high-stakes situation where someone’s or something’s future is at risk
- there are no quick fixes
- little control over the timing or outcome
- an experience of losing satisfaction or pleasure in once pleasurable things
- when a circumstance is causing either emotional or spiritual confusion or both
Have you had a time such as this? Who led Jesus into the wilderness? Why? Wilderness seasons come about by change. How do you feel and handle change in your life? When Jesus went into the wilderness, He wasn’t alone. The Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness. God was close by. God sees us and doesn’t leave us alone.
Dear Heavenly Father,
In our wilderness times, help us connect to you and learn all that you want us to learn about you and change what needs to change in our lives.
In Jesus Name
Amen
