Mice and Men

“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.” 

Luke 4:1-2a

 

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” For some odd reason this quote taken from Robert Burns’ poem To a Mouse popped into my head as I started thinking about this devotion. The quote ultimately refers to the idea that no matter how much we plan, something is bound to happen to the plan. If you have been alive for more than five minutes on this planet you know there are at least three possible outcomes to the plans we make: all goes according to plan, everything turns out even better than we could have imagined or they inevitably fall short in some way. So what does this have to do with Jesus’ time in the desert? 

 

Have you ever wondered why Jesus needed to spend that time in the wilderness dealing with the schemes of the Devil? Why couldn’t He have just gotten right down to work, picking disciples, teaching and healing? Would it have been possible that in His humanness he could have chosen to rebel against His own divine plan? After all we humans have managed to mess up God’s plans in the past. What matters here in my opinion is the outcome of the test. Jesus did not allow His humanness to fall into the Devil’s trap and because of that - everything else He did, including His garden prayer - where His humanness shows through - allowed Him to do a few things that help us live transformed lives.

 

Jesus’ time in the desert allows Him to:

• Understand the temptations we face.
• Show us the importance of being obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
• Show us that it is possible to stand against the temptations we face.
• Be the perfect sacrifice needed to redeem and restore us to a right relationship with God.

Have your plans gone awry? Are you being called into the wilderness? Are temptations closing in on your heart and mind? 

 

Jesus passed the wilderness test and He is standing ready to help overcome whatever you are facing.  

 

A Prayer

Father, you know that we do not like to be tested but you test us anyway. Thank you that Jesus had to face the same kinds of tests while He was on the planet. Thank you that He sets an example for us and stands ready to help us be over comers. Help us to be obedient to the leading of Your Spirit and grant us the strength we need to stand against temptation. Thank you that because of Jesus we are part of your family. In the name of Jesus who passed the wilderness test so we can too, we pray - Amen.