LENT WEEK 4: DAY 24

Discipleship is a lifetime experience that involves lots of stages and steps that every disciple is called to take. The call and the response are just the first steps that open the period of training. This is the period every disciple dreads but it is also unavoidable. The disciple is called to follow the routes of the lord and his routes pass through the desert (Exodus 13:17-18). In leading the Jews to the promised land, there were other options but the Lord chose the path of the desert. The desert you must know is not just a place but it can also be an experience or state of things in the life of a disciple but it is also the best place or period to draw near to God. To kick start his public ministry, the master had to spend 40 days in the desert (Matthew 4:1). This time gave him firsthand preparation for all that was ahead and got him set to face them. St Paul after accepting the call of Jesus on the way to Damascus didn’t just become the super apostle but had to face a training period of almost 3 years before finally going to meet the Apostles in Jerusalem (Galatians 1:15-18). This period was necessary for him to become a disciple like the others. This was the same pattern with John the Baptist who lived in the desert until he was ready to begin public ministry (Luke 1:80). This tradition didn’t start with Jesus but goes right back to the Old Testament (see Moses and Elijah). Although the desert is an arid and dangerous place where hunger and thirst prevail (Exodus 15:22), it is also the ideal place to commune with God (Exodus 19:10-11) and a place where he teaches us his care as well as gives us his protection (Deuteronomy 32:10-11). Discipleship comes with a burden that every disciple must carry and that burden is not chosen by the disciple but given by the Master. To proceed on the journey, the disciple must deny himself, carry his cross and follow the master (Matthew 16:24). The best place where self-denial is learned is in the desert and St Paul coming out of the desert could now affirm that, all he had, he now counts as lost (Philippians 3:8) and that for him to live is Christ (Philippians 1:21). This knowledge of Jesus St Paul got, was nowhere else than in the desert, and the Ethiopian Eunuch who came to Jerusalem only received true understanding when Philip met him in the desert (Acts 8:26-35). True knowledge of Jesus flows in the desert for all who open their minds to it. A desert is a place where you learn survival, learn to be as gentle as a dove and wise as the serpent so that you can survive among the wolves (Matthew 10:16). I know no one likes to suffer but you must know that in that desert you will experience pain and suffering, hunger and thirst, you will face dangers and even torture and some may even die in the experience (Number 21:6) but in all these, know that it is God testing you and proving you worthy and teaching you as a father teaches his child (Deuteronomy 8:2-5). To corroborate this, Jesus told Ananias that he would show Paul how much he would suffer for his name (Acts 9:16). We can’t escape this suffering and we can’t escape being targets to all sorts of attacks but be sure of the fact that in all these, God will still be with you and care for you (Hosea 13:5). Whoever you are, you must prepare yourself to enter your desert and learn whatever it is God is teaching you so that you might be ready for what is coming. The Lord is leading you in there, to teach and instruct you (Psalm 32:8). Failure to learn it, will lead to a prolonged stay in the desert just as God prolonged the stay of the Israelites in the desert (Joshua 5:6). It all happened because they kept disobeying and failing to follow the instructions of God and he kept them in the desert till they were all death. To avoid this, you have to pay attention when the Lord instructs and corrects you (Hebrews 12:5-6). If you do not, things won’t go well for you. You might have noticed that some people’s lives keep going like a spiral and they keep facing the same challenges over and over again. This will surely go on until they get to learn that which God is trying to teach them (Jeremiah 32:33). They will experience such situations over and over again until they assimilate it and are ready to take the next step. The Lord is the best teacher and instructor you will get and his advice is excellent (Isaiah 28:26). Note here that, we are talking about disciples and not everyone because for some people such could be the case of demonic manipulation. If as a disciple you keep experiencing this routine and repetition of events in your life, then you need to realize that there is something God is trying to teach you, that you have failed to learn. You therefore have to review your steps and accept whatever lesson you are being taught so that, you can access the next level. Step into your desert and acquire more knowledge and insight.

In Corda Matris.

Resolutions

I resolve to learn all that the Lord teaches me.
I resolve to accept my stay in the desert with humility.
I resolve to do all that is in my power to advance to the next step of my spiritual journey.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I come to surrender my life to you and I lay down my will that you may do with me whatever you will. Accept me as your disciple and teach me the way I should go. Melt me, mold me, and use me as you will. Amen.