“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted (tested) by the devil.” (Matthew 4:1).
Throughout our life there is a persistent, ongoing spiritual wilderness struggle with the devil who is bent on testing our commitment of allegiance to the Lordship of Jesus. During these times we need to be reminded that the experience of wilderness testing does not mean that we are not being what God wants us to be. Rather, it is because of our love and desire to remain faithful in following Jesus, that causes the devil to confront us with tempting alternatives that counter the purposes and expectations that God has for us.
And so, we understand that being faithful in our commitment to follow Jesus means we will often find ourselves struggling with the same wilderness temptations (testing) as Jesus did.
Our spirituality of thoughts and actions are more sharply focused as we journey with Jesus more intently during these six weeks of Lent. Doing so, helps us to become aware of the reality of our relationship with God. My prayer is that such spiritual reflections will encourage and help us to better make our way through wilderness struggle and toward a deeper love and commitment to the Lordship of Jesus.
Let me share a couple of affirmations that may help us better understand and define a Lenten spirituality for all who experience wilderness struggles.
1) When we have discovered who we are in Christ and our mission in life, we can be certain that a powerful evil force will come along to sidetrack or sabotage us.
Jesus understands who he is, being the Son of God, and is confirmed as such in his baptism. And now He is about to begin his public ministry. All is well. But no, it is not that easy. Satan comes alongside to test him, to sidetrack him, to sabotage him, to distract him from his stated loyalty and commitment to God.
And he does the same with us. When we have found the right spiritual, Godly path, we can be sure that someone will come along to show us another route. For this reason, testing and temptation are signs that we are going in the right direction and doing something right!
If we have little or no love for God, if we have little or no interest in following and serving Jesus, if we have little or no regard for our spiritual life, the devil has little reason to tempt and test us. He will leave us alone, knowing that we have chosen his path toward eternal misery and death. It is only when we have chosen a Godly direction and loyalty that he is aggressive in tempting us with attractive alternative directions and loyalties. So, we should not be surprised whenever our commitment to trusting Jesus and honoring his Lordship in our thoughts and behaviors is being tested.
2) There is no spiritual growth without the wilderness experiences.
The rabbis of ancient Israel called the wilderness “the school of the soul.” It is in the wilderness experiences that we are given opportunity to grow in our trust and obedience to God. In fact, a person has not shown true obedience if he or she has never had an opportunity to disobey. All of the devil’s temptations are nothing more than attractive opportunities to discredit or disobey God.
And, the biblical scriptures clearly tell us that there can be no spiritual transformation without the wilderness “school of the soul.” There is no resurrection without death. There is no crown without a cross. There is no Easter without Lent.
When all is going well in life, we are easily seduced into thinking we have no need for God. But, in times of spiritual wilderness we must place our trust in God who alone is able to protect and provide for us. It is in the midst of the difficult, often painful wilderness experiences that we have the greatest potential for spiritual growth in our relationship with a loving Father God.
And so, we join with the psalmist in praying, “Search me, God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24).
A Lenten spiritually helps us to make our way through the inevitable struggles that come in daily living. The six weeks of Lent reviews our journey with Jesus into the wilderness, toward the cross, and death to self-righteousness. It is a journey of struggle. But it is, as we are promised, the way that leads to life.
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted (tested) in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:14-15).
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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – March 1, 2023
Ray M. Geigley
Healing Rays of Righteousness 
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