The Wilderness Phase

CALL TO PRAYER

By: Stephen Osei Kuffour

Date: 10.03.2024

Title: The Wilderness Phase

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.   (Matthew 4:1-2 NKJV)

After our Lord Jesus Christ was baptized by John, He left for the wilderness. He spent 40 days and nights fasting and praying in the wilderness before He began His ministry. He was being trained during the time in the wilderness. There was even a time that the enemy came to tempt Him, but He overcame him with the truth in the word of God. All these were part of His training and preparation for the great Ministry ahead of Him (Matt 4:1-11).

He was also empowered after spending such a long time in the presence of the Lord. We saw the result or the impact of His wilderness phase when He returned. When He came back, His words were so powerful to the extent that that it caused men to leave their life’s work and family to follow someone who had nothing (Matt 4:18-22). Our Lord Jesus Christ also preached powerfully about the Kingdom of heaven and performed many great miracles (Matt 4:23-24).

The truth is that every Believer who walks with the Lord will definitely go through the wilderness phase. We can see this in the lives of many great men and women of God in the Bible and also in our days. David spent some time in the wilderness taking care of sheep and fighting off dangerous beasts.  Little did he know that the Lord was preparing him to defeat Goliath and also to rule Israel (1 Sam 16:11-13, 17:34-37).

The Wilderness period was the difference between David and Saul. The time David spent in the wilderness alone with the Lord prepared him to always obey and fully trust in the Lord. He was not a perfect man, but he had been with the Lord to know that He is merciful. Therefore, whenever he made mistakes, he easily admitted it and pleaded for mercy (2 Sam 12:13, Ps 51). Saul who didn’t experience the wilderness phase before his Kingship tried to justify his actions even after disobeying the Lord (1 Sam 15:20-22).

Therefore, let’s not be too quick to begin our ministry or assignment that the Lord has given to us. Let’s not also be too quick to jump steps. However, let’s be patient and go through this phase of our Christian lives. It may be difficult and painful, but it will be worth it. It is the Lord preparing us for greater works. Let’s also have compassion on those going through such a phase.

Beloved in the Lord, the life of a Believer goes through many phases. One of the phases is the wilderness phase. This is the phase where the Lord trains and prepares us for our Assignments. This phase may be painful and difficult. However, let’s not give up or give in because the glory that awaits cannot be compared to the suffering that we are experiencing now.

Prayer Point:

Let’s thank God for His word today. Let’s ask the Lord to give all Believers the patience to wait and to go through the wilderness phase. Let’s also pray for strength to endure all the pain, trials, and difficulties.

God bless you all