Entering the Desert

In yesterday’s Bible Prayer Service (see yesterday’s post) I spoke of The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell. We learnt that a desert experience is an integral part of any hero’s journey. It usually occurs after the call to a great mission. We see this sequence in Mark’s Gospel, that after Jesus’ Baptism in the river Jordon, where he clearly understands his call, St Mark tells us that the spirit drove Jesus into the desert.

Such as interesting phrase ‘The Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness’. It connotes that Jesus did not plan on going into the desert but he was driven by The Holy Spirit. This is very characteristic of our desert experiences. We do not plan our wilderness experiences. We were happily going along our journey in life when suddenly we are driven into the wilderness by some unforseen occurance.

This occurs in Tolkin’s two big stories, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In both stories, Bilbo Baggins and later Frodo, are enjoying life in the Shire when all of a sudden Gandalf appears with news that soon drives them out of their comfort zone and into wilderness experiences.

This occurs in our own lives. Often we are happily going along life when suddenly we get some news that drives us into a desert experience. It can be the sudden loss of a loved one, (as in my case), the news of a critical illness, the loss of a job, the onset of loss of memory, not getting your exam passes, not getting the choice of your school or being asked to take on a bigger role at work or at church.

We are suddenly trust into the desert. In the desert we are tempted by Satan, have to be with wild beasts, but ministered to by angels. As difficult as it may seem, desert experiences are necessary in life. In the desert we have to learn to deal with all of the above. We acquire new skill sets that are vital for the journey and the mission ahead.

God is calling each of us to a hero’s journey. The desert forms each of us into the person that can take on the mission. We learn to discern the subtle deceptions of Satan. He never attacks head on but is always twisting the truth. He is the father of lies. He deceived Adam and Eve and he tried to deceive Jesus. In the desert we come face to face with his lies. We learn, sometimes the hard way, to recognize his lies and twisting of the truth.

This week, we will explore desert experiences and the challenges we face in them and the vital skills we learn for our journey ahead. We hope you can walk with us. Also, if you think these posts can be helpful to a family member or friend, please share their email address, so they can get the posts in their mailbox.