The Wilderness

"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness." Luke 4:1 (NIV)

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I assumed the wilderness was always a sign I had wandered from You, a punishment or a mistake, never a place You would actually lead me into.

So every dry season felt like abandonment instead of assignment.

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But Jesus was full of the Spirit when He entered the wilderness, and it was the Spirit who led Him there.

The wilderness is not always evidence You have left. Sometimes it is evidence You are preparing me for what comes after it.

I have come out of my own wilderness seasons different, stronger, closer, than I went in.

I called those seasons wasted years.

They were the very ground You were leading me through on purpose.

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Forgive me for assuming wilderness always meant Your absence.

You led Him there full of You.

You have led me the same way, even when I could not see it.

Spirit who leads, walk with me through this wilderness the way You walked with Him.

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A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Thank You, Holy Spirit, for leading even into the wilderness.

Thank You for purpose I could not see in the dry seasons.

Walk with me through whatever wilderness I am in now. Amen.

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