The Judean Desert

Luke 4:1-14

1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.

4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:

10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:

11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all region round about.

Jesus was around 30 years old when He began His ministry. But before any preaching in front of crowds, calling His Apostles, or teaching parables, He was led by the Holy Spirit into the Judean wilderness to commune with God, His Father. He spent 40 days in the lonely stretch of desert that reaches east of Jerusalem to the banks of the Dead Sea. For Jesus, this was a time of personal growth, reflection, and communication with His Father as He embarked on the difficult mission of redemptive work His Father had sent Him to do on behalf of all humanity.

The invitation

Take time to refresh through reflection

God can help you prepare for upcoming challenges and achieve your goals. Over the next two days, you’re invited to set aside some time to be by yourself and prepare yourself mentally and spiritually for an important upcoming event in your life. You don’t have to take 40 days; even 15 minutes of thoughtful reflection and sincere prayer can bring peace and purpose to your heart.

Questions to ponder

How does Jesus Christ’s example teach us to prepare for challenges and/or opportunities?

What upcoming events or goals in your life do you need to prepare for?

As you took time to reflect and pray, what impressions came to you?

Scriptures about overcoming challenges

Jesus Christ walking through a field invites all to come unto Him

Come Unto Christ

An invitation to come unto Christ

Each of us have come from different circumstances, but each of us have also been invited to come closer to Jesus Christ and to learn more of His teachings.