Over the last three weeks I have committed myself to listening for God’s voice to me in the Scriptures. Rather than reading the text as an object to study or a tool to use for leadership or preaching, I have been setting aside some moments every morning to simply listen. And God has been speaking.
This morning I came upon the phrase in the opening of the Gospel of Mark that reads, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
These, of course, are the words of God at his Son’s baptism. Yet, this morning, I heard them as words to me. I, too, am God’s son, baptized into his family. He loves me. I am his, and I bring him pleasure.
My heart was encouraged by these words this morning. Yet, in the midst of this encouragement I was challenged by a new insight. It comes in the next phrase of the passage.
“At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness.”
God loves you. He is pleased with you. And then he takes you to a lonely, deserted place where you are tempted by Satan and driven to dependence on God.
This runs counter to the way I have viewed God. I have inadvertently bought into a view that says, “If God loves you, then life will go smoothly and you will succeed.” What I heard this morning, what God taught me as I listened, is that because God loves you he will send you to the wilderness if that’s where you need to go so his purposes can be accomplished in and through you.
I cannot hate the wilderness moments of my life. Instead, I need to cling to God’s words of enduring love and settled acceptance. And I need to depend on God to be my source in those deserted places.
A good word!
I’ve walked in the wilderness a few times in my life. It was hard to go through…but if I could go back and change it, I wouldn’t. A few things I learned: 1. The rain falls on the just and the unjust. Even when you do everything right, life can fall apart. 2. God is there, even when you don’t feel Him there. 3. God walks with us in the darkness. It’s a different walk….a dependent walk….a painful walk….but until you’ve walked in the darkness, it’s difficult to help others who are walking that road. 4. God doesn’t take away the pain. He helps you, you sense his comfort, there is relief at times….but the pain comes….regardless. 5. If you choose to walk with God during those times….He changes you….in ways that you could have never been changed otherwise. My walk with God is deeper….more intimate, because of the wilderness
Margaret,
Great insights. You have touched on many things that I have been learning recently. Thanks for sharing from your journey!
Blessings,
Chris