The Wilderness - Pt 5

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. (Psalm 139:7-12 ESV)

The Big Bend State Park located along the Trans-Pecos, is an inhospitable place. It would be considered by anyone as a great place to visit; however, living there would present a great challenged to all but the experienced survivalists. The daytime temperatures can easily reach 110 degrees. Even with the rain, which is greater that some other deserts in the world, it is hot enough to cause significant health challenges. The wilderness the Bible speaks of is even worse than we see in Texas. We saw yesterday that the wilderness allowed Jesus to better learn his Father’s voice; however, it also gave him a chance to pull into sharp focus his self-understanding. Faced with repeated temptations to exploit the power structures of an earthly kingdom, Jesus chose the way of sacrifice and love, sealing his identity in the process. Perhaps there is a related gift of self-understanding in the wilderness for us. Typically, it’s almost impossible to resist defining ourselves in terms of how we measure up to others. It might be the fact that the isolation of the wilderness serves as an invitation to extract ourselves from our elaborate networks of comparison. Henri Nouwen contrasts the “relevant self” (the self that can do and earn things) with the “unadorned self” (who we are when we are not proving anything; it is the self that is “open to give and receive love regardless of any accomplishments”). It often takes an experience that strips us bare of our usual armor (and our résumés) to get us in touch with our unadorned selves. The process can be terribly painful. But the Spirit is with us, working to move us towards wholeness. This truth is not better stated than in our reading today. Whether we are high or low, far or close, the Spirit of God is present with us. Whatever theories we might hold, there is no wilderness so isolated that the Spirit is not there. There is no terrain so barren that it cannot yield the Father’s gifts. With God, it turns out that time in the wasteland is never wasted. Perhaps it is time for you to take some time today and thank God for the wilderness. It is divinely ordained and designed to bring you good. None of your experiences will be wasted.