I've been reading through the Gospels the past few weeks- well to the best of my abilities. Sometimes I would stop halfway through a book because responsibilities pulled me away, but there's been a recurring subject that has been catching my eye: the desolate places.
It felt as though every chapter we would find Jesus in a desolate place, praying and resting. Before He started His ministry, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Jesus is not afraid of the wilderness. Time and again, we will find Him in a place of seclusion to be recharged.
But I don't think it really sunk in how much- dare I say it- how much God loves the quiet place until I skimmed through the first two verses of Luke 3.
Whenever I see a list of names in the Bible, my eyes glaze over. I am not the one to look through genealogy. If there's no story, I won't stay.
Yet this time I did- I lingered, I stayed- and I learned something.
The first two verses hold six names: Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, Herod, Philip, Lysanias and Annas.
These aren't just any six names; these six names represented men who held power in the time right before Jesus was baptized. These men had the authority that shaped the climate, the rules of Israel. And I'm not the only one who bypassed them. God did too.
God's word didn't stay and announce itself to any of those leaders. It went over all their heads to get to John the Baptist in the wilderness.
No red tape for God. He didn't ask for permission or go through the correct channels to speak to John. If God can get to John in the desert, He can easily get to you.
God knows how to find you. He doesn't have to go through people to get to you or ask for permission. And neither do you. You don't need to be in position of power or authority to receive God's word.
No seminary necessary. No ministry required. No seat in some church committee needed.
You can meet Him on the outside. God doesn't mind.
He will meet you in the wilderness. Outside the hustle and bustle. Outside of the city. He will meet you in the quiet of your room. In the wreckage your worries left behind. In the mess, in the misery.
Our God can even meet with you in the graveyard.
God wants to meet with you- out in the margins.
The outskirts, the desolate places are not beneath Him. Even there He will be.
The only position you need is the position of your heart: are you willing to listen, to obey? If so, there He will be.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
