Paul: Desert Daysናሙና

Why the Desert?

Paul spent three years in the desert. His name means ”small,” and it’s easy to see why. In his early life, he was a zealous persecutor of Christians and saw himself as someone big and important. But one day, on the road to Damascus, he had an encounter with Jesus that changed everything. He was blinded and led by the hand into the city, where he fasted and prayed for three days. It was a desert experience where he had to confront his smallness and need for God.

Have you ever found yourself in a desert place? A place where everything seems dry, and you feel like you are slowly getting smaller and smaller? Maybe you cry out to God, asking for help and relief, but all you hear is silence. It can be a challenging place to be, but in these moments, we are reminded that heavenly success depends on downward significance.

This phrase may seem counterintuitive at first. After all, don’t we often associate success with getting bigger and better? Don’t we strive to climb the ladder, achieve our goals, and be recognized for our accomplishments? Yet, when we look at the lives of some of the greatest men and women that God used, we see that they often began with very little. They were small, insignificant, and sometimes even despised. And yet, it was precisely in those moments of downward significance that God was able to work in their lives in powerful ways.

When we find ourselves in a desert place, it can be tempting to give up, to feel like we are too small and insignificant to make a difference. But God has a purpose for us in the desert. Just like different species of plants and animals thrive in that environment, there are different gifts and abilities that God wants to cultivate in us during times of downward significance. He wants to show us that our worth and effectiveness come from Him alone and that we don’t have to prove ourselves to anyone else.

In the meantime, we should not be passive or apathetic. We should be ambitious and work hard to achieve our goals. But we must recognize that we find our identity and worth in Jesus Christ, not in our accomplishments or others’ approval. We should be willing to spend time in the desert, getting our security in Christ, so that we can increase in spiritual strength and be the people Jesus died for us to be.

Where is your security? Is it in your identity in Christ or what you have or don’t have? Like Paul, focus on the depth of your relationship with God, and let Him focus on the breadth of your impact.