Many of the great biblical heroes went through a period in the wilderness. After living his first forty years as a prince in Egypt, Moses fled to the wilderness for forty years before returning to lead his people on a forty-year journey through the wilderness towards the promised land. The Holy Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness where He fasted for forty days. It was during this time that He experienced Satan’s temptation. We could mention others whose spiritual journey included a stint in the wilderness – Noah, Elijah, David, Jonah, and John.
Today is Ash Wednesday and marks the first day of Lent. Perhaps you’ve only considered Lent to be a tradition of certain denominations – Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, etc. I think of Lent – the forty-day period leading up to Easter – as an opportune time to journey with the Lord. After all, the Lord often used a time period of forty to change, test, grow, and challenge His people.
As a few of the teachers on Sunday morning have mentioned in our current sermon series – The Master, the Lord teaches us through process. The greatest lessons in life don’t happen in the classroom. They come through experience. Yet, we often don’t sense the lesson happening while we’re experiencing it. It’s usually only afterwards, after we have processed our experience, that we realize there was something God was teaching us through the journey.
Let me issue a challenge for you. Let these next forty days be one where you ask God to take you on a wilderness experience. What does that look like? Here are three characteristics of the wilderness experiences we see in Scripture.
First, wilderness journeys we see in the Bible are marked by solitude. While it’s probably impossible for you to get away and be alone for forty days, the lesson can be just as powerful. Making this time a time of spiritual growth alone is extremely effective because it is spurred by our own relationship with God, rather than something we’re doing because of someone else. Many have a spiritual life that only exists because of their spouse or their friends. In other words, it’s not their own. A wilderness experience can be the time where you develop your own faith and relationship with God, not just live someone else’s. Spiritual solitude builds character.
A second characteristic of these wilderness experiences is challenge. Elijah began his wilderness experience wallowing in fear and depression. He wanted to die. Israel grumbled and complained throughout their wilderness experience. They asked to go back to being slaves. Challenges and commitments are difficult. Jesus took on the difficult task of fasting for forty days in His wilderness journey. You may decide to do some sort of spiritual exercise for this journey such as a daily commitment of fasting and praying. You may not have anything in mind but find that God has given you a challenge. Whatever it is, you can be sure that the challenges you face build strength and stamina.
A third characteristic of these wilderness experiences is preparation. Jonah needed three days in the belly of a fish to get his heart right before prophesying to Ninevah. Moses needed forty years to separate himself from his Egyptian identity, embrace God, and return as Israel’s leader. Jesus’ forty days prepared Him for His battle with Satan and His intense ministry. God uses wilderness experiences to prepare us because preparation builds a confidence and readiness to pursue God’s mission for our lives.