Day 5 - Issue 24
Matthew 2:11 NLT
'They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.'
Each of us loves the moment when we kneel in contemplation at the feet of Messiah. This is, after all, the objective of following Jesus. However, there are no easy roads to find such moments. Our lives are a series of incidents, never accidents, by which we test our resolve to find the presence of God.
The Magi journeyed more than 1,000 miles in pursuit of a sign that they had interpreted. I imagine many more Magi saw the signs in the heavens yet chose not to endure the hardships of a camel ride across deserts to test their belief that this signalled the birth of a deity. So with us, it is one thing recognising that God is real and relational, altogether another to find and develop such a relationship.
It’s easy to forget that Jesus’ ministry began contesting the devil in the desert. Indeed, the desert is the place where stripped of everything, we discover both our appetite for God and our level of confidence in God’s provision for us in that desert. We can name many desert experiences, such as my own battle with childlessness and then Katey’s MS. The desert demanded much from me; it also taught me many new relational skills and deepened my desire and experience of God’s presence.
I had to sacrifice my assumption that following Jesus was a life of blessing and personal enrichment. I had to learn it was me who had to fight to hold onto God. In fact, even church became a desert. Week by week I just stood, arms spread, weeping before God throughout the worship. How wonderful later to discover the Desert Fathers describing tears as the purest form of prayer.
Exhausted from their journey, unwittingly deceived at journey’s end, they found Messiah. Their quest was realised and their interpretation of the sign of the times was proven accurate. Now they could kneel and worship, and present their gifts before resuming their journey home.
QUESTION: What has God taught you from ‘desert’ experiences with him?
PRAYER: Lord, even when you lead me through desert places, I will trust in you.
