Strength in desert places

I walked in the Arizona desert just recently. I was walking in “red rock canyon”. The scenery was stunning. It is what drew me there.

I am an Australian, I love the heat and it was only an easy 1 km walk. The sign said, “Heat warning, you might die”. I thought to myself, I will be fine, so I jumped out of my car with my camera and headed off to the point to see the view. After 10 minutes I could hardly breathe. I didn’t take any water. That was my first mistake. It was the middle of the day. That was my second mistake. I had decided that day would be a fasting day for me. Maybe that was my third mistake. As I determinedly walked on I saw a jogger running past me and I couldn’t believe he could do that. I found a shady spot under a rock to rest and wondered how Jesus did this for 40 days? Seriously, I had never felt the sting of salt water in my eyes before as I walked. This was a dry, hot heat that was very new to me.

I found myself thinking about Jesus’ words, “Come to me all you who are thirsty, come to me and thirst no more.” I began praying, “Lord, you are the living water, help me thirst no more, or at least help me get back to the car”.

I got back to the car and watched a big tourist bus, with people simply looking at the sites from their air-conditioned bus tour. I get how that seems so attractive. As the bus drove past there was a sign that said, “This is something that cannot be seen by car or bus, you must walk to experience the beauty”. I jumped into the car and grabbed the water and noticed the brand “pure life”. So funny, yes right then and there it was giving me pure life. It was so refreshing, I really had to drink the water and allow it to satisfy me internally. It would not have been enough to pour it over my head, though that would have helped, but I could feel the difference of letting it infuse itself inside my body and keep my body hydrated and giving me my energy back.

The heat and conditions did not stop me from exploring for days after that, but I did learn from this and I never went again in the middle of the day or without water or some food in my belly.

However, this experience gave me a new lens to seriously consider how Jesus went without for 40 days in the desert conditions that would have not been unlike this. I imagined him being like the jogger who went past me. After all, he was the Son of God. I imagine when you are honed and prepared as Jesus was, you can run even in the most challenging of conditions. But besides the supernatural part of Jesus, he was also a man and this time was to truly prepare himself for His mission. He would have known to stop, rest during the hottest times of the day and to draw near to God in delight and worship when His body was failing due to lack of water and food. This would have been a test of will, mind, heart and soul in every way, and in ways I cannot even imagine.

I really don’t know how Jesus did this for 40 days without water. That blows me away. I can understand the temptation of just staying in the bus, watching the world pass by in the comfort and man-made conditions, taking one person’s word for it that the scenery is stunning, and not venturing out to experience the scenery yourself. The problem is that we are not then prepared for the challenging times when we have to trust God and use the heat and hard conditions to make us stronger and wiser. It amazes me that when He was tempted to turn the stones to bread, which would have been a big temptation, but surely, He would have been thinking, “just give me water.” Only supernaturally could He have done that. I was so thirsty, food was not even in my mind after minutes let alone days.

I have been practising the spiritual discipline of fasting and intentional times of prayer, and while many of us are not in the actual desert as I was, we know that the desert times in life are real. They have been very real for me in the last few years. So, this was very challenging for me indeed to consider what it means to walk with God in the desert places and fast and pray. I could take the bus trip and pass on by or learn to become the jogger and become strong in the desert places of my life. John Mark Comer says when fast you need to stop, rest, delight and worship. I could take his word and just say “that’s great, John Mark, and Jesus you can do that, but I can’t, it is too hard.” It’s like sitting on the bus and watching others suffer the heat and be amazed at their resolve and strength.

Or I can experience that heat and learn in the desert that it was so important to carry water and to STOP in the cool places, to pace myself and to rest so that I could worship and delight in the beautiful things I was seeing in His creation.

So, what would that mean in the desert places of our life? What would it mean to STOP in the cool places? Where are they for you? To rest and pace yourself, when life often is asking so much of us in the everyday? To know what it means to delight and worship, where are those places in your life, in your every day? Do we really believe He is the living water of which we need to thirst no more?

Jesus in a most extreme time, did not require any other food or drink other than what He received from His father. This blows my mind and yet I long for this revelation in my life.

“It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth” (Matt 4:4)

In the face of temptation from the enemy, amidst the heat and lack of food and water for 40 days he said:

“Worship the Lord your God, and only Him. Serve Him with absolute single-heartedness”

(Matt 4:10)

The test was over, the devil left Him, and angels came and took care of His needs. What a beautiful picture of faithfulness, of steadfastness and inner strength, and of the care of the Father for His son in extreme times.

Jesus knew how to STOP, to rest, to delight and to worship. Through fasting and prayer His faith was clarified, strengthened and prepared Him for what was to come.

Lord in the desert places, help me to run to you and to run with you.

Lord in the desert places, help me to not take the bus ride out, the quick and easy route to get out of there as quickly as possible as tempting as that might be,

Lord in the desert places teach me to rely on your word alone to feed and water my soul, that I might know the angels’ touch of love and care.

Lord, in the desert places of my life may I know to STOP, rest, delight and worship you.