Luke 3:1-6
"...the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God's salvation.'"
John the Baptist was called while in the wilderness, and so were many spiritual giants. In Genesis 28 Jacob encountered God in the wilderness, Moses received God's calling while in the wilderness in Exodus 3:1-6, and Ezekiel was called by God in the wilderness as well in Ezekiel 1:1. Wilderness represents a person's thirst for God, for it is the end of the journey for someone who must find God. Such thirst for God is found everywhere in the Book of Psalms. Psalm 42 says that "as the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God." Psalm 63 says that "my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." Wilderness represents the thirst for God in a person, he must encounter God, or else he cannot carry on with his life or ministry. Lord Jesus also prayed in the wilderness, so did Paul who stayed in the Arabian wilderness for three years and had close encounter and discipline with God, and finally God's word came to John the Baptist in the wilderness.
Have you had the wilderness experience? Wilderness is a state of thirst in our life. In the wilderness of life, are we willing to be close to God, to seek God and be thirst for God? God is happy to speak to us, and when our life enters the wilderness, God's word will come upon us. When God calls us, calling will bring forth a mission. God called John the Baptist and gave him the mission of preparing the way for the Lord and becoming a channel of blessing. John's whole life then became dedicated to completion of God's work, and that is a precious mission! One must have a mission in ministry, and the mission must have come from clear calling. Such clear calling can often come from life's wilderness. May the Lord help us, so that when we are in the wilderness of our life, we will be closer to Him. We must prepare ourselves to become God's channel to bless others. Just like what John the Baptist said: "He must become greater, I must become less." May God also help us to have the determination of John, to become channel of blessing to others in our daily life.
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