Scriptures: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16; Luke 4:1-13
Key Verse: “Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place.” (Psalm 91:9)
On November 14, 2010, right before worship, my brain was foggy and my energy was depleted after not resting much the night before. I said a prayer and looked at all my siblings in Christ who were sitting at the pews and waiting to be strengthened and inspired by God’s Good News. During the sermon, all I could do was trust the prayer that I had said and believe that God would do the rest, touching their hearts and strengthening their faith in Christ.
I was famished after spending only one day and one night on Saturday with a group of youth and adult chaperons who joined hundreds communities in the area to raise awareness about homelessness. Each of us received 10 dollars for three meals and slept through a cold and frosty night inside tents or boxes on the front lawn of the church. In order to intake as many calories as I could to keep myself full throughout the cold day and the freezing night, I used the 10 dollars for bread. I just can’t imagine how Jesus felt after being in the wilderness for 40 days. The scripture said that he ate nothing and was famished. What could have sustained him that long while keeping his mind sharp and focused?
As I recall that “Sleep Out Saturday,” a story comes to mind. It’s a story about calling God’s people to live a life as a pilgrimage--however, I can't remember who the author is and the details of the story. What I do remember is that it is about a group of people on their way back to God. They packed all the necessities for this long trip. At the start of the journey, traveled by day and camped each night. As time passed, the physical and mental exertion of the journey took a toll on them, and they would camp two days straight in the same location before moving on. Not long after, some of them decided to stay even longer when they saw that there were plenty of resources at their camping sites. As time went on, the size of God’s people on the road decreased because many felt comfortable at the temporary house they had built. Some temporary houses were getting bigger and bigger, and many people got into the habit of accumulating and hoarding after they noticed that the resources began depleting. Some became rich and some became poor. Many of them had forgotten the original destination of their trip including who was awaiting for them with open loving arms.
As the Psalmist says in chapter 91, those who hold on to God for dear life will receive a long life and see God’s salvation. Jesus has demonstrated to us the way of holding on to God through his responses to the demon. Jesus has also taught us how to position ourselves to pray the Lord’s prayer: 1) by announcing who our God is and what God promises, 2) by trusting what God provides including daily bread, forgiveness, and our deliverance from evil, and 3) by declaring that we belong to a God who is magnetic, omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent.
Jesus did not get lost in the wilderness or submit himself to the devil. He knew and remembered the purpose and the meaning of those 40 days. Let’s ponder over Jesus’ 40 days of being alone without anything to eat. Compared to our earthly lives where we are surrounded by people of faith that God put in our lives, what do we have to complain about? Many of us might have experienced fatigue from anxiety and uncertainty, loneliness due to rejection or fear, or scarcity of time, food, money, power, autonomy, or recognition. What or who causes us to forget to whom we belong and in whom we trust? It is my prayer that we all may hold on to God for our dear long life in Christ and to savor the abundant joy and love God has bestowed to us each moment of each day. Amen.
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