Wilderness Survival
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http://www.forthright.net
Straight to the Cross
COLUMN: Heavenly Connections
Wilderness Survival
by Tim Hall
The word "wilderness" brings many images to
American minds. Generally it connotes a place of
harsh circumstances, a terrain that tests survival
skills. For some, the wilderness is a place to be
avoided at all costs; they don't want to give up
their comforts. Others relish the opportunity to
get out and brave the elements.
One man in the Bible didn't fare so well in the
wilderness. We read of this nameless individual in
Luke 8:26-39. We know nothing of his former life,
only that he was possessed by demons who drove him
"into the wilderness". After living among the
tombs, his appearance and actions frightened
people. His was a miserable existence in the
wilderness. (Of course, Christ changed all that.)
The book of Numbers in the Old Testament is a
record of many who didn't survive. In the Hebrew
Bible, its title is "In The Wilderness", taken
from the first words of the book. Its account of
the first generation of Israelites doesn't have a
happy ending. By failing to place their trust
completely in the One who wrested their freedom
from mighty Egypt, they forfeited their promise of
a wonderful new home in Canaan. Here's Paul's
summary of that first generation: "But with most
of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies
were scattered in the wilderness" (1 Corinthians
10:5, NKJV).
Jesus' experience of life on this earth was not
exempt from harsh wilderness experiences. Luke 4:1
tells us, "Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy
Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by
the Spirit into the wilderness." The wilderness,
the place where so many before Him had not
survived, was a dangerous place even for the Son
of God. But as Luke goes on to report, Jesus
survived the wilderness. And His conquest carries
with it seeds of hope for our own survival.
What enabled Jesus to do what many others didn't
is highlighted in Luke's account. When tempted by
Satan to compromise His convictions, Jesus
responded each time with "It is written" (Luke
4:4,8,12). What did He mean? Simply that mortals
must look to God for their survival. If Jesus had
reacted on the basis of fleshly passions, He would
have changed the stones to bread, or taken the
short-cut to power by worshipping the devil.
Instead, Jesus looked to God for direction,
refusing worldly solutions. The key to wilderness
survival according to Jesus is to keep our focus
on the One who placed us in the wilderness.
The Hebrew writer exhorts us with these words:
"For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all
things and by whom are all things, in bringing
many sons to glory, to make the author of their
salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He
who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified
are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed
to call them brethren" (Hebrews 2:10,11).
We who are Christians today are mentioned in that
passage: "those who are being sanctified". We
struggle to resist the allurements of the flesh.
But we have made it our aim to be set apart solely
for the use of God. We follow the example of Jesus
who was perfectly sanctified, and look to Him for
help. By keeping our focus on Him, we will survive
this wilderness we call life on earth.
"They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate
way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and
thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they
cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He
delivered them out of their distresses. And He led
them forth by the right way, that they might go to
a city for habitation. Oh, that men would give
thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His
wonderful works to the children of men!" (Psalm
107:4-8).
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