Photo by James Barker freedigitalphotos.net

Amy McLaughlin-Sheasby spoke at church yesterday and she had a great message for this Lent season. Taking the passage from Luke 4:1-13 where Jesus is led into the desert, she brought up the whole idea of being in the wilderness and what that means.

Jesus knew whose mission He was on…God’s mission to reconcile the world to Himself. Knowing this mission, Jesus could rest in his dependence on God, even in the midst of great trial in the wilderness.

According to McLaughlin-Sheasby, you can know you are in a wilderness season when:

• You didn’t choose to be where you are.
• Your circumstances are beyond your control.
• God is silent.

So often we cry out to God, asking for a road map…a sign…something to let us know where we are going, but if we had a road map, what would we do? We would dodge the wilderness!

Amy McLaughlin-Sheasby

And why is the wilderness so important? It is in the wilderness where you learn to truly depend on God. So often we try to control our situations. We want to “fix it” and make things better. We don’t hear from God so we think we have to do it all on our own. Well, that is not depending on God, and we will make ourselves exhausted in the wilderness if we go that route. It is when we truly give up control and rely on God that we find rest and peace in the wilderness.

So what is it that you are reaching for control in? What areas of your life do you need to let go and depend on God? 

Thank you, Amy McLaughlin-Sheasby, for your God-given words Sunday. They gave me much to reflect on as I enter this season of Lent.