Dear friends in Christ, grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

It was no accident that Jesus wound up in the wilderness. He had been led by the Holy Spirit for a purpose: to be tested.  Throughout scripture, the wilderness represents a place of preparation, a place of waiting for God’s next move, a place of learning to trust in God’s power and strength. For forty days and nights Jesus remained in the wilderness, without food, getting ready for what would come next. Yes, Jesus was prepared for his wandering in the desert, but unfortunately, most of us, we enter into the everyday deserts of life unprepared. Our dreams are shattered and we often find ourselves wandering alone and aimless.

We all live with a dream. You may think that dreams are only words offered to high school graduates. Stick to your dreams, dream dreams, let your dreams become a reality. When you look back on life, you will discover that almost every important decision you made was based on bringing you closer to the fulfillment of your dreams.  So it’s painful, however, when the dreams fade and you find yourself wandering in an everyday desert. It happens in a moment. The loss of a job, the diagnosis of a disease, the sudden change in a work environment, the frustration of a child’s maturity, or the death of a loved one. Those are precisely the occasions when the devil enters in.  It is also when the temptation to abandon God’s love, and to deny his strength and power is most evident. So what are we to do in the everyday deserts of life when temptations arises?  What good news does Jesus have to bring? That is what I would like us to meditate upon today.

Temptation is part of everyday life, and there’s not a day that goes by when you or I won’t experience temptation in a variety of ways.  It may be the temptation to stay angry at someone, or the temptation to give up, to worry or complain, or it may be the temptation not to  keep your word to someone who’s depending on you. Temptations are endless. And some only appear in the everyday moments of life.

Jesus’ own dream in the wilderness may not have been shattered, but the devil met him at a time of great need. Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.  And the tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”  The devil was toying with Jesus’ sense of self-worth.  It is a common fear and tempts all of us, especially parents. Have you really provided enough?  The question sounds rational and respectable. As a parent, you wonder whether you are providing enough for your children. You begin to sacrifice more and more of your time, energy and income.  The devil challenges your self-worth, and makes you question whether you have done enough and tempts you to abandon God’s dream for your life. To this temptation, Jesus answer, “God provides all that is needed. Place your trust in him alone.”

Then the devil took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem and said, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”  Obviously, the devil was trying to foster some doubt in the mind of Jesus.  He was treading on Jesus’ self -confidence. My friends, whenever you stand at the pinnacle of life, and the devil whispers.  “What are you doing up here? Do you think you really deserve to be here?”  Remember Jesus’ words for this temptations, “God is always with you holding you in the palm of his hand.”

Again, the tempter took Jesus away to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”  The devil was testing Jesus’ integrity and self-control. Over 30 years of parish- ministry, this is where I have seen the greatest struggles in the every deserts of life. Men and women are dissatisfied with God’s blessings. The devil seizes the opportunity tempting people to abandon their integrity and self-control. When the Devil tempts you compromise your values, Jesus reminds us that God’s treasures cannot be compared to the riches of the world.

Still, in the everyday deserts of life, it is easy to give into the temptations of devil and deny God.

A man named Jack was walking along a steep cliff one day, when he accidentally got too close to the edge and fell. On the way down he grabbed a branch, which temporarily stopped his fall. He looked down and to his horror saw that the canyon fell straight down for more than a thousand feet. He couldn’t hang onto the branch forever, and there was no way for him to climb up the steep wall of the cliff. So Jack began yelling for help, hoping that someone passing by would hear him and lower a rope or something.  “HELP! HELP!”  He called “Is anyone up there? HELP!”  He yelled for a long time, but no one heard him. He was about to give up when he heard a voice.

“Jack, Jack. Can you hear me?” A  voice answered, “Yes, yes! I can hear you. I’m down here!”

“I can see you, Jack. Are you all right?” the voice answered.  “Yes, but who are you, and where are you?””

“I am the Lord, Jack. I’m everywhere.”  Jack responded, “The Lord? You mean, GOD?”

The voice answered. “That’s Me.”  And Jack cried out, “Oh, God, please help me! I promise if, you’ll get me down from here, I’ll stop sinning. I’ll be a really good person. I’ll serve You for the rest of my life.”

“Easy on the promises, Jack. Let’s get you off from there; then we can talk.” God answered.  Now, here’s what I want you to do. Listen carefully.”

“I’ll do anything, Lord.” Jack said, “Just tell me what to do.”

“Okay. Let go of the branch.”  God said.  “What?” Jack answered.

“I said, let go of the branch. Just trust Me. Let go.”  There was a long silence.

Finally Jack yelled, “HELP! HELP! IS ANYONE ELSE UP THERE?”

In the everyday deserts of life, it is easy to give into the temptations of devil and deny God.

It would be a disservice to the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, if we consider his victory against the devil a one and done. Jesus would continue to be tested every day, just as you and I are.  It is the truth that every person who has wrestled with addiction knows.  Victory is only good for one day at a time.  Temptations keep knocking at the door, waiting for the day when the resistance is low and the discouragement is high.

My friends, shattered dreams and hopes often send us alone and aimless into the everyday deserts of life. And doubts and temptations will certainly follow. So, it is in those lonely places that you must seek the company of Jesus, for most assuredly, he will meet you there. God loves you as you are, but he also loves you so much that he will not leave you as you are. He wants you to renew your faith and restore your shattered dreams by placing your trust in him. It all begins with prayer, in meditating on God’s word, opening yourself to the Holy Spirit through the gift of the Lord’s Supper, and finding community with fellow believers.  You cannot do this alone for the temptations are too great. You must instead allow to Jesus walk with you.  Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.