Today’s Lenten reflection was written by Polly Brown, an LLM training through the Licensed Ministry Training programme.
Do you have moments in your life when you feel you are walking through a wilderness, a time of confusion, and hardship; when everything seems to be falling apart and you feel overwhelmed? It’s easy to believe that God is far away when we feel like this. It can feel like the world’s weight is too much to carry, and we are left to wonder where God is when we need him the most.
In these moments, God invites us to see the wilderness not as a place of abandonment, but as a refuge, a place of safety where we can draw closer to Him. God does not leave us in our troubles but is present with us, even when we least feel it. During these times, He will meet us in life-changing ways, and these seasons often allow us to find the space to silence the world, even for a short time, and listen more deeply, allowing the opportunity to let God speak to us.
In this season of Lent, we remember Jesus’ time in the wilderness. Mark 1:12-13 tells us Jesus was thrown into the wilderness; it was not something he had a choice in. He entered a time of testing and solitude, much like how we do when we experience life’s challenges. These times can be painful, and make us turn away from God, to seek other ways to distract from what we are going through, distractions of this world rather than God. In our wilderness, we are not in solitude as Jesus was, but he shares in our journey carrying us through it.
The reality of suffering and wilderness is deeply tied to the season of Lent, a time of intentional wilderness where we choose to confront our struggles and work through them with God, and if we allow it, experience His presence in ways we cannot normally in the busyness and comfort of life. We can create a space to be vulnerable, draw closer to God, and leave the wilderness with new hope.
Lent can also be a time to build resilience, a season where we can find shelter with God and take the opportunity to stand still, trusting he is working for our good. In Exodus, we read “Stand still and I will fight for you”, we can come to God, and in our waiting, He will renew our strength and courage, it is not something we need to do alone. We can view the wilderness as a refuge, a hiding place, and trust that God is there. Jesus used his time in the wilderness to prepare for his public ministry and we too can emerge with renewed purpose, and a deeper faith from spending time with Him.
May this season of Lent be an opportunity to lean into God, experience His healing, and encounter His unfailing love. Whether your wilderness is intentional or a place you didn’t expect to find yourself, lean your head onto Jesus’ shoulder and open yourself to the love waiting for you.
