Mark 1:12-13
The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
I hear people say they wish they could live in the Middle Ages, I suppose it’s because they like the music. I wonder how much thought they put into it, for instance, the smells, the lack of plumbing and clean water, the diseases, the warfare etc. I confess that, at times, the idea of going somewhere to be alone for 40 days sounds attractive. Mark gives us some more information about the solitude of Jesus in the wilderness. He was not alone. There were wild animals. There were scorpions and, worse, spiders. That is all I needed to hear. I’ll sleep in my bed tonight. But Jesus had nothing to fear because, besides being God, he was ministered to in his humanity by angels. That makes just about anything bearable.
Thankfully, we have that assurance in the wilderness that is our life on this earth. There are wild animals in the form of illness, financial struggles, warfare in relationships, and despair. The Good News for us is that we just don’t have angels with us, we have Jesus himself, the risen Lord and Master of our lives, and of our troubles. He ministers to us and protects us from the spiders of fear. Like Moses on Mt. Sinai for 40 days, we are comforted by knowing the all powerful Lord is right there with us. Let the Spirit drive you to him today.
O Heavenly Father, we thank you for your everlasting presence in our lives and that we have nothing to fear from anything, including death. Drive us to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.