4-8-2014 –  This transformation is a painful process yet it bears fruit the nature of which reflects in our bearing, our manner of speech, the look of our eyes, every aspect of our being radiates this ‘godly comfort’.

4-4-2014 – It is here as well that we learn one of the most important lessons of the spiritual world. Paul hints at it in II Corinthians 1. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 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. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.“ We are actually transformed in this process from the person who is ‘comforted by those comforted by God” to a person who is comforted by God.

4-2-2014 –  Why here? Most would say I would gladly have meet Him on the highway. Why in this deserted, hopeless, helpless place? Therein is the answer. We are helpless, with no one to comfort. Hopeless because the loneliness is  overwhelming. The only Savior is the Lord. He alone can pull us from the miry pit.

3-31-2014 – It is here in this place, dissatisfied with the material things of the world,  covered from the top of our head to our toes with pain. Depression seeping out of every pore. It is here that we meet our Lord. 

3-28-2014 – Rarely do we realize in the beginning what we are looking for or why the adversity has over shadowed us. It is like we go from task to task, event to event almost numb to the things happening around us. We find that all wisdom, understanding, insight into our plight evaporates.

3-26-2014 – So what is the connection between the wilderness experience and adversity? Actually the two go hand in hand. As much as we seek it most will say that when faced with great adversity friends, companions or others are of little comfort. Rather, in many circumstance these can be an irritant. Job’s friends serve as an example of just how bothersome ‘friends’ can be.

3-25-2014 – The text indicates that even Jesus had to be ‘driven.’ into the wilderness. Most of us who have had a wilderness experience will say that we to had to be ‘driven’ in to it as well.

3-22-2014 – Loneliness, finds its purpose in that it drives us from the cares of the world, the pain and anguish of our existence into the arms of the Lord. Yet, most of us resist it because this intense emotional experience sears our souls.  

3-18-2014 – I think not. For this situation in Jesus life is the exact same situation the Lord frames for each of us. The purpose is the same. Whether Jesus, Moses, David, Job, or all of the great leaders of God’s people.

3-14-2014 – However the concept of our loneliness does have an important purpose and resolution in scripture. For this answer we have to turn to Jesus and his wilderness experiences and a question. Was the wilderness experience the only purpose of temptations?