Matthew chapter 4 tells us that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert. There, Jesus reached His limits as a human being – he felt hunger, exhaustion, frustration, loneliness… But there, He also found reliance upon God, and He was able to repel the temptations of Satan by trusting in God’s Word and God’s past demonstrations of trustworthiness.

Whenever we encounter desert seasons in life – times when we reach our human limitations, it is good to look back at the example of Jesus. And the examples of others in the Bible who found themselves alone in the wilderness:

  • Moses lived in the wilderness herding sheep for 40 years.
  • Jacob ran and hid in the wilderness from his Uncle Laban. Jacob slept in a cave and used a rock as his pillow!
  • The entire nation of Israel – 2 million people – once wondered together in the wilderness for 40 years, living in tents and on the rocks and in the sand.
  • David ran and hid from Saul and lived in caves in the wilderness for 20 years.
  • Elijah ran from Ahab and Jezebel and hid in the wilderness after God helped him defeat all 400 of their false prophets.
  • And John the Baptist conducted his ministry of preaching and calling people to repentance and baptism in the wilderness near the Jordan River.

Some of these people were running from their circumstances. Some were hiding from the consequences of their decisions. Some of them were just doing their jobs. Some were hiding from unjust pursuers. And some of them were obeying the direct leading of God Himself to go into the wilderness…

Which of these applies to you? What has led you to being in the wilderness at this moment in your life? Maybe you’re just doing your job, and ended up here. Maybe some of you are running from something… Some of you may be hiding from something… Or maybe God even led you here Himself…

With each of the people from Biblical times that was led into the desert – no matter how they got there – no matter what led them into the wilderness season of their life – whether it was God, or circumstance, or consequence, or something else – where was God in each of their stories?

And this is a vitally important lesson that Jesus teaches us from His wilderness experience in the desert: God was WITH them. He was with them.

Satan repeatedly tempted Jesus in the desert, calling God’s identity, God’s Word, God’s character, and God’s trustworthiness into question. And this is what Matthew 4:10-11 says:

Jesus said to him, “Get away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

No matter why you’re in the desert – no matter what has led you here – whether it was circumstance, or consequence, or God’s direct hand, or just fulfillment of the requirements of your job – no matter why you are here or what has led you here – GOD IS WITH YOU.

The Presence of God is with you – beside you, before you, upholding you, surrounding you – within you.

And if you will allow Him, He will sustain you. He will carry you through. He will supply all of your needs. He will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus with the peace that passes all understanding.

I’ll leave you today with these words from 1 Peter 5:8-11 –

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”