A Lenten thought

The clearest biblical similarity I know to Lent was Jesus’ 40 days in the desert wilderness. I have always thought this to be the basis of what Lent is all about. Matthew chapter 4 opens with the words, “Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the Devil”. They could well have read the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for a period of testing, suffering and trial. Not much has changed since then! The Spirit of God is still ‘testing us in the wilderness’. Perhaps the only thing that has changed is our perception of, and willingness to enter into, wilderness. It is true to say for many, in our modern world, an intentional journey into a wilderness area to test the soul is unheard of. And not just wilderness, but also the testing of the soul. They hardly go hand in hand anymore. So it seems God now brings ‘wilderness’ to us! Not wilderness in the true sense of a geographic area, but wilderness in experiences that test the soul. In this sense we all go into the ‘desert wilderness’, not geographically or literally, but in the experiences of loss, failure, betrayal, illness, heartache and suffering. The old saying is true, “God will make a way”. I personally believe that an intentional journey into a wilderness area is an essential step in dealing with the ‘wilderness’ experiences of loss, failure, betrayal, illness, heartache and suffering that come our way. If we just go into the wilderness to holiday, or hunt or have a ‘jol’, then we will miss the work wilderness does in us. But if we go on an intentional journey (and have a good time too) then we have much to gain. The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. May the Spirit lead us there too.