Led by the Spirit

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  Matthew 4:1 ESV

My heart always goes out to the families of sick children.  Just the thought of taking a small child by the hand and walking him into a hospital or clinic where he will be stuck, poked, or possibly face surgery…  My heart just breaks for those precious little ones and their parents.  How hard it must be for a mom to put on a brave face as she leads her child into a place where she knows hard and painful things are about to happen!

Scripture tells us that Jesus was “led by the Spirit” into the wilderness.

I don’t pretend to understand the Trinity.  I know that God exists in three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  I know that the relationship between them is close and unique.

So, when the Bible says that the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, I find that significant.

In Matthew 3, we’ve just read about the baptism of Jesus.  In that experience, all three Persons of the Trinity were individually present and identified.  Jesus was baptized, the Spirit came as a dove and rested on Jesus, and the Father spoke audibly from heaven.

Then in the very next verse in Scripture, we see the Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness.

Was what happened at Jesus’ baptism a sort of “family reunion?”  We really don’t know much about those thirty years since Jesus was born in a stable.  We cannot understand how the incarnation of Christ has impacted the relationship of the Trinity.

But at the baptism, the Father expressed His approval of the Son, and the Spirit came to hang out with Jesus for a bit.  And then, the very next thing the Spirit does is lead Jesus to a place of trouble.

I can imagine that this must have been hard for Jesus.  He was God, so He must have known what was getting ready to happen.  Since He was God, He knew what was necessary.  Why not just walk Himself into the wilderness?

I can speculate – and that’s all it is, speculation – but I can imagine that even though the wilderness was necessary, it wasn’t something that Jesus wanted to do.  Keep in mind that though He was God, Jesus was also human, and forty days of temptation doesn’t exactly sound pleasant.  We have the story of Gethsemane where we see Christ’s humanity revealed in the dread of the cross.  I wonder if Jesus was having similar feelings about the wilderness?

So the Spirit went with Jesus.  

He led Him into the wilderness.  

Jesus did not have to walk that difficult path alone.

As Christ-followers, we have a help in the wilderness – the indwelling Holy Spirit.  The same Spirit that led Jesus into the wilderness, has gone into the wilderness with us.  The Spirit doesn’t leave us – He remains. 

We may not know what is getting ready to happen in the wilderness, or perhaps we might have some idea of what lies ahead.  We know enough to know that it will probably be hard.  There’s a good chance that it will involve pain of some kind.  

A warm-up before an intense workout is painful, but vital.  Though the stretching may be uncomfortable in the moment, it can prevent a serious injury later on.  So we do the stretching.

Medical procedures, surgeries, and therapies all can be useful treatments to correct a problem.   The path to your healing can be painful, but we face these challenges head-on because we understand they are for our good.  Sometimes, we have to be talked into doing the hard things.  We may need someone to take us by the hand and walk with us into the difficult place. 

The wilderness does not feel good in the moment.  It is for our good, though, so we must fight the inclination to resist.  Take the Comforter by the hand and move forward.

Let that be an encouragement today.  That same Spirit that led Jesus into the wilderness goes with you and stays with you.  

You are not alone.

Reflect: Think for just a moment of something difficult that you have gone through in the past, whether an illness, an injury, or a loss.  Recognize that if you are reading these words, it means that you have survived!  

Remember: The wilderness will be hard, but you don’t have to go there alone.