Lent day 10 - ups and downs

A few years ago I was really struggling.  Life had not turned out as I had imagined it would.  I was a bored and lonely housewife miles away from friends and family with three demanding children and a largely absent husband.  I was doing the ironing one evening and found myself in floods of tears, breaking my heart over I knew not what.

' What on earth is the matter with me Lord?'  I blubbed in frustration

' You are disappointed' was His reply.

He was right.  I was.

I've just been thinking about Jesus and His baptism, followed immediately by His 40 days starving, cold, alone and under enemy attack in the desert.   He went from the wonder and delight and joy at hearing the audible voice of God commending Him and acknowledging Him to..... well, I presume to feeling utterly despondent and defeated at hearing the taunts of the enemy for forty days.   Interesting isn't it?  I've never seen that before.  God spoke once from heaven.  Satan spoke over and over in the wilderness.   God confirmed Jesus's character and destiny '  You are MY Son and You are more than good enough'    Satan attacked His character and destiny ' IF You are the Son of God.....'
The high point seems fleeting in comparison to the low which followed.

Sound familiar?

I wonder why it is that on this road we are walking so often the highs are shortlived and the attacks are sustained and wearying in the extreme.   It is so tempting to fall into the ' it's not fair'  mentality.  Which leads to disappointment.  Disappointment sucks faith and hope right out of us and starts to sow bitterness and resentment.  And before we know it we have turned our backs on the God of the high places and are wandering off into the territory of the wild animals.

Perhaps we need to understand something.  Perhaps the way this works is that God sees the trials coming and He prepares us for them by affirming us, encouraging, building up, speaking identity and destiny over us.  He knows that we need to stand on these words, believe them and let them become part of us so that when the enemy comes and fights dirty we are ready.   Jesus was ready.  He didn't sit in the desert moaning that God had forsaken Him.   He didn't complain about His lot.  He knew that the Holy Spirit was leading Him and held onto the words His father had spoken over Him at His baptism.   Im sure He didn't enjoy His encounters with the devil.  I imagine they were very very tough.  I don't suppose He really knew how long the desert time would last.   He probably could have chosen to go home and walk away from His mission at any point.   As can we.

This Lent let's take a moment to re-visit our high points.  The times in our lives when we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God spoke to us, touched us, delivered or healed us.  Did something amazing that could only have been Him.   Let us remember what it felt like to know  His favour and pleasure and that we were His.  Let us re-read the scriptures which changed our thinking and transformed our lives.  Talk to the people who witnessed the transformations we underwent.    And then let us face the wilderness with courage and confidence.  Secure in the knowledge that we are sons of God.  On a mission. Destined for victory. And our Father is well pleased.