Wilderness is a major theme in Scripture. Think of Moses and the Israelites in the book of Exodus, or Jesus being tempted by the devil in the Gospels. The wilderness is a place of testing and trial, in which we see our sins with honesty and humility. It’s also a time of restoration and renewal, as we learn to trust God and receive his grace in a whole new way. We may not always like the wilderness, but notice that the Lord always leads his people through it – and they never emerge the same as they were before.
The season of Lent is like that: a 40-day wilderness pilgrimage with Jesus as our guide. As we begin Lent together, I encourage you to spend some time reflecting on this theme. What do you need to get rid of to start your wilderness journey? Are there temptations or distractions that stand in your way? If so, let them go and let the Lord take their place. On the flip side, what do you need to take on to help you along the way? Is there a Bible study, prayer retreat, or service project you can jump into to help with the journey ahead? If so, commit to it and trust that Jesus will use it for your betterment.
As a church we’ve been studying the Lord’s Prayer on Sunday mornings. If you need direction, why not start there and pray it slowly and intentionally every single day? We have prayer guides online and here at the church to guide you in this – just ask me or Emily and we’ll help you out. For now, I’ll leave you with Jesus’ own words from Matthew 6, beautifully translated by Eugene Peterson in The Message:
Here’s what I want you to do:
Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace…
This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
With you in the wilderness,
Blake