Before Going Public Stay In The Wilderness

Luke 1:80
And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

John the Baptist was brought up in Judea. Because his parents were old they must have died early when he was still young. As a Nazirite John the Baptist kept off from the city influence and he stayed in the deserts and bush countryside of Judea. His ministry began at age 30 in a strange and powerful way. Before his ministry, John totally kept off from the public. He stayed in the wilderness until when God clearly signaled that He needed him to preach in public. Before going public stay in the wilderness!

Prior to the wilderness life, John must have been brought up at home like any other child. John must have attended the Synagogue schools where he learned to read and write. When he moved to the wilderness, John read scripture, prayed, and meditated on what he was reading from scripture. When he left the wilderness, he already knew scripture and he came out to preach. Before going public stay in the wilderness!

The significance of the wilderness is that it was away from the influence of that which was in public and in the city. The wilderness signifies seclusion. The wilderness is the secret laboratory where the best tools are curved and sharpened. Before going public stay in the wilderness!

The wilderness doesn’t mean that the person God sends is clueless about what happens in society. John knew a lot about society, Matthew 1:7-9. He knew of the illicit marriage of Herod, Mark 6:18-19 and Luke 3:19-20. John knew about the theft the tax collectors were involved in, Luke 3:12-13. He knew how corrupt soldiers were, Luke 3:14. He was a man of the wilderness but not a stranger to the going on’s of the public society. Therefore his preaching made sense since he belonged to both worlds. We should avoid juvenile extremism that is too public or is too much of the wilderness. John was a balanced man of God. He came to us from the wilderness. Before going public stay in the wilderness!

Moses stayed in the wilderness of Midian for forty years taking care of sheep and his family. After that time in the wilderness, God called him to the greatest service in his life. Before Midian, Moses had stayed in the Egyptian Palace for forty years of his life. Forty years in the palace would seem ideal preparation for service, but not so for God. God sent him to the wilderness of Midian for another forty years. At age eighty, God called Moses from the wilderness to a leadership that has been unmatched. Before going public stay in the wilderness!

Galatians 1:17-18 (17) I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus. (18) Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days.

When Apostle Paul was converted he retreated to the Arabian desert for three years before he came out to preach powerfully. Those three years formatted him from being a pharisee and oriented him to Christianity. Those were three years of Bible study and prayer. Three years of humbly waiting on God. Those three years catapulted Paul into an unforgettable Apostle in the early church era. The wilderness was the place of preparation and learning dependence on God. Before going public stay in the wilderness!

Paul tells us he did not rush to Jerusalem after conversion. He did not rush to get the favor of the other Apostles. He did not rush to be counted among them. Paul tells us that he retreated to the desert of Arabia before going to Jerusalem. Many of us would want to rush to Jerusalem and get approval from the significant people there, but Paul went to the wilderness and became greater than if these people had given him approval. Before going public stay in the wilderness!

Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Before Jesus began His public ministry, He went into the wilderness for forty days and nights. Jesus lived at home for thirty years. After that, he went for John’s baptism and then later on to the wilderness. From the wilderness, Jesus began His public ministry. Before going public stay in the wilderness!

Wilderness is where we may make our personal calling and salvation to be sure. In the wilderness, we learn from God’s word and get close to God through prayers. Without the wilderness experience, we cannot be God’s servants. Disciples stayed with Jesus for three years before they went out to reach the world. We all need the wilderness to catapult us to service. Before going public stay in the wilderness!

Some experiences are the wildernesses. Some pain we go through becomes the wilderness. Some losses we experience become the wilderness. The wilderness becomes a turning and learning point. Before going public stay in the wilderness!

Dear God, be with me in the wilderness and from there empower me to serve You as I have never ever done before. Before going public may I stay in the wilderness you have prepared for me, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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