Desert Before Mission

I was pondering the desert experiences of John the Baptist and Jesus yesterday and realized an important insight. Before they were both sent on mission, they each spent quite a bit of time in the desert, in silence, prayer, and self-denial.

The desert is an experience we have before an important mission. It is a time of waiting. We need that time of being with the Lord and of learning discipline in silence, prayer, and self-denial.  Do you sense that the Lord is asking any of these things of you during your season of waiting? If so, it may be a call to the desert.

Lately especially I’ve felt called to these things. Denying certain things in my life that distract me from Him. Praying more beyond my existing routine. Embracing more silence. More "being" versus "doing." God is up to something…it’s my desert.

For those of us who have been waiting a long time, the desert can feel never-ending. But hold onto the truth that eventually the desert period of our lives ends and God sends us out on mission: a mission that will be true to who we are, how He made us, and hopefully the desires of our hearts.