Desert seasons, like long, cross country drives, can cause the question, “Are we there yet?” to rise within & bubble out over & over again. Desert seasons of aimless wandering can feel pointless until we we can finally look back & see that it was all preparation for what's to come!
This morning I read about John the Baptist, I wondered if he ever uttered those words to God?
His birth unfolds with a prophetic bang as his father proclaims that his baby boy will be called, “the prophet of the Most High” because he will prepare the way for the Lord.
The passage of Luke ends by telling us that John grew up & became strong in spirit, living in hallowed desert seclusion until he began his very public ministry.
The desert wasn’t sandy, but rather a wilderness region devoid of most people. John’s parents were old, so I wonder how long until he became a desert orphan who would not rub shoulders with ordinary life?
He remained there in preparation for his ministry to come-a ministry to make way for the coming king!
As I pondered his preparation season, I had this thought:
“We are ALL called to be forerunners of the Messaiah, & sometimes that requires a desert season of preparation.”
During his desert years, not only did John grow strong physically, but he was also, “strengthened in spirit.” That word strengthen means, “God’s prevailing power gaining mastery over opposition”.
Spending the first 30 years of life in a desert may have caused John to wonder, “Are we there yet?” but God used those hard, dry ground years, to soften John’s heart. He learned to rely on God alone as his source of provision, companionship & wisdom! He spent these secluded years preparing to become a preacher of repentance. His sole aim was to make awake the awareness of sin & the very real need to be rid of it!
But he wouldn’t have been ready had he not lived through the desert season where God gained complete mastery over John’s very breath!
Father, desert seasons can be hard. Don’t let us exit them without allowing you to prevail fully over our hearts, minds, words & actions. Like John, we want to become living proclamations of the King Who has come to wash us clean! #OneYearBible
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