We can often find ourselves in spiritually desolate places. What makes a time or place desolate? Sometimes, it is the sin of those around us. People can sin against us, and the pain they cause can be deep and personal. Other times, rulers and authorities grieve our hearts by calling evil good and good evil. As difficult as the sin of others can be, another cause of spiritual desolation is much worse.
Our own sinfulness can lead us to desolate places. Our sinful desires are constantly at work. Not only do we have to deal with the sinfulness from without, but we must deal with the evil desires within us; because of this, we often fail. We fall again and find ourselves lamenting our condition. When we fall, the accuser likes to raise his head to tell us there is no hope for us in God.
Indeed, painful circumstances such as financial issues, relationship conflict, illness, and even death can leave us in a spiritually desolate place. Still, as difficult as those things can be in themselves, for the believer, we rarely go through a time like that without the enemy reminding us of our failures.
When we find ourselves in desolate places lamenting our sinfulness, the enemy will launch another attack. He will tell you this Christian thing is not working. He will whisper, “You need to leave Christianity behind. All it has done is lead you to this barren place.” This temptation to walk away from Jesus and his word will present itself in many ways. Here are a few examples of how it might sound:
- “These Christian rules you keep following have you trapped in a loveless marriage. Leave it behind and go find someone else.”
- “I know you want to get married, but you will never find someone if you try to stay pure. Anyone you start dating will leave you if you maintain that standard. Besides, you have desires that you need to tend to, and pornography and erotic novels will not hurt in the meantime.”
- “I know you are dealing with emotional pain, and God is not helping. There are other ways to cope. Drugs and alcohol are readily available. There are a multitude of artificial stimuli to get you through.”
- “You are in a dead-end job; you work so hard for little pay. Living paycheck to paycheck seems to be proof that this God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills either does not exist or does not care about you. There are other ways to get the money you deserve, and your employer would never know. You could even cheat on your taxes. Taxation is theft anyway. Steal it back.”
In all these scenarios, the enemy’s constant cry is “depart, depart, depart.” “The word of God is untrustworthy, so walk away and do it your way.” Sometimes, it even comes from professing Christians who say things like, “Do not take this Christian thing so seriously. You can loosen up a little. If you need time away from the church, take it. We go to the lake every Sunday. You should join us.”
We see a picture of this temptation to depart when Jesus feeds the multitude in Matthew 14. Every time Jesus altered the laws of nature, he revealed that he was the Son of God and taught us spiritual truths. There are several truths in the feeding of the five thousand. Perhaps that is why it is one of the most frequently mentioned miracles in the gospels. Though it is not the central message of the miracle, Charles Spurgeon highlighted the following truth for those of us who find ourselves in a desolate place facing the temptations listed above.
Here is what the disciples said to Jesus as the day progressed, and they saw that there was nothing for the people to eat.
Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves (Matthew 14:15).”
Even in the presence of the Lord, the disciples saw the desolate place as a reason for the people to leave Jesus so they could find something to eat. Here is Jesus’s response.
But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat (Matthew 14:16).”
In one sense, he said, “They do not need to leave their Savior. I have everything they need, even in desolate places.”
How did these people end up in the desolate place to begin with?
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns (Matthew 14:13).
They were in the desolate place because they followed Jesus. Never forget that God is sovereign; it is never an accident when we find ourselves in a desolate place. Christ always leads the way. Whether or not our sins have something to do with our barren place, God is in control and makes no mistakes. When you find yourself in a desolate place, do not leave him.
Not only does he have what you need, but He has it in abundance. Not only did the 5000+ eat when Jesus fed them, but they were also satisfied. They were so contented there was more food than they needed.
And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over (Matthew 14:20).
In desolate places, you will often find comfort from the Lord you never knew existed. Remember, the disciples marveled the most at Jesus’s miracles when their own boat was at risk, and he calmed the storm. Jesus will often allow our boat to be at risk so we can see his power personally. You will be comforted by the God of all comfort, and the reason he does it is so you will be able to comfort others.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
God often feeds us in desolate places so we will know how to provide for others. Remember, the Lord used the disciples to feed the people.
Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds (Matthew 14:19).
After being in desolate places, we often go from being one of the many to one of the disciples passing out the true bread of life to those in need. And in most cases, to feed those in barren places, he will have you there with them. Do not fear the desolate places, and do not listen to the enemy as he tempts you to walk away from your Savior. Instead, stay where you are, at his feet, and wait for him to move.
The worst of all spiritually desolate places is dealing with our own sinfulness, and Christ is the answer. He can offer us the forgiveness we need. Leaving him would be the worst thing we could do. If he can provide for our greatest need, we have no reason to fret about secondary needs. Find your all in him and stay by his side.
-D. Eaton
The Fight of Faith 