Luke 1:80

Luke 1:80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.

Genesis 16:13-14 She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

Are you in the desert today? Does it seem as if there is not enough to sustain you? God allows some to be led into the desert as Jesus was led into the desert; others, as Hagar, who was rejected by Sarah, are pushed into the desert. Yet, others, as Moses, flee to the desert for safety. Regardless of why you are in the desert, God knows where you are, and He desires to talk to you in that desolate place. He desires to make you strong in his Spirit. Hagar exclaimed after God ministered to her in the fearful and desolate desert, “You are the God who sees me," she proclaimed. “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Can you believe that God sees you at all times? Can you believe He desires to feed you with manna every day? As an alien here on Earth, do you believe that God will conquer your enemies and set you free from bondage? CAN YOU BELIEVE?

The desert is a place of movement: nomads, sojourners, and wayfarers live in the desert. They never stay in one place too long, for the desert does not possess enough of anything to sustain a person for very long in one place. We, as Christians are aliens, nomads; we are just passing through this life. In all practicality, we live in tents, temporary dwellings, not permanent houses. As Christians, we know if God says move, we move. If God says stay, we stay, and then depend on his provisions, his manna, his undiscovered wells. Whether we leave or stay, we are still nomads. A nomadic life requires direction. We cannot just wander aimlessly over one sand dune after another; we must have direction to the next waterhole, the next oasis. We must know where we are going or we will die.

And this is where God comes into the picture. He provides guidance, He reveals the next step. That is why we pray earnestly for a compass, for direction. In the stillness of the night, when no other sound is heard, when the camp is quiet, and when the brilliance of the stars visits the earth, we listen intently for his voice: "Son (daughter), I have a way out of this camp. I have a direction for tomorrow, a place of rest for your head." We might say, "Yes, I know, but I want a permanent dwelling place, a place of safety, a secure place, an established place, a predictable place." But, he reiterates, "I am your safety, I am your secure place, I never leave you nor forsake you. You are not alone in this desert. I am the God WHO SEES YOU."

Yes, as Christians, we are collectively wanderers; just passing through. But we have our personal desert places, barren places, hopeless places. Will we faint or will we believe God is with us? Will we be like the children of Israel who hardened their hearts in the desert and consequently saw judgement fall on their heads? Or will we be like John who became stronger in the Lord through his desert experience? Will we faint, give up, seek our own way out of the desert? Hagar married her son to an Egyptian to escape the hot sun. Moses married a Midian to find an established life, away from God's plan. Our flesh can usually figure a way out of the desert, but we might not find God in our escape. We might just release more self, more flesh into our lives. Jesus prayed and fasted when He was in the desert, and He used the Word to defeat his accuser. We also need to pray and fast; we need to use God's word against our accuser. We should remind him that God sees me. In the desert Jesus was attended by the angels; we are attended by the COMFORTER, THE HOLY SPIRIT. Yes, there is a way out of our personal desert, a next step to take, and we will take it with the Lord's help, but we will always be in the desert in some way, for we are just passing through, this world is not our home. We long for that city whose builder and maker is God.