by Pastor Rich Carlson

After He stopped for the baptismal rite of passage into His ministry, Jesus was “led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil” (Matt. 4:1).

  To me, this seems counterintuitive. The same Spirit that descended on Him like a dove at His baptism now leads Him into the wilderness—to be tempted by the devil! That doesn’t seem to make sense. I thought the Spirit would lead Jesus to “green pastures,” like Psalm 23 promises.

 But life doesn’t always go that way for us and it didn’t go that way for Jesus. James wrote, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1:2).  In other words, we don’t grow stronger sitting in an easy chair, we get stronger on the treadmill.

Jesus had apparently spent time in His developing years learning about the power of God’s word because when tempted by the devil He did not give in, wonder about the value of compromise, or linger in sin’s presence. When things looked really bad He simply quoted Scripture. And once was not enough—three times, to temptations beyond human comprehension, He simply said, “It is written…” (Matt. 4:4, 7, 10).
 

God’s word is powerful. Jesus Himself proved it. So why would we choose any other way through our wildernesses?

 Rich Carlson is campus chaplain at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. “God Is Faithful” is adapted from the email devotionals he writes regularly for the Union College family. Rich enjoys filling his life with God, his family, and especially his five grandchildren.