He Speaks in the Suffering

Qumran is in the Judean Wilderness. It is hot. It is dry. There is nothing that communicates – “Hey, I want to be here!” It’s not the place most of us would choose to be. YET, it is in this location that a shepherd boy was throwing rocks and happened to unearth vases full of scrolls that had been hidden away by groups entrusted to hand down the Scriptures to the next generation. It was in the desert that God’s voice was heard loud and clear. It was in the place we would often choose to avoid that God’s voice could be heard. God chose to make Himself known in the wilderness. Jesus’ baptism is the moment we often long for… the celebration, the commission, the joy. Jesus was affirmed at His baptism, but what happens next, we don’t often consider. This 4 second win was followed by 40 days of wilderness. And it was in the wilderness that God’s voice carries Jesus. In Jesus’ temptations, it was God’s Word, that was spoken, heard, and understood – more clearly than in our winning moments. Jesus was tempted and exhausted, but was cared for and set apart! (How does God use the wilderness moments in our life? Hosea 2:14 – He speaks and often we can hear.)