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What did Jesus do when he was alone?

Perhaps the most critical leadership qualities we can learn from are the ones Jesus developed in secret when He was alone. We tend not to make reference to the moments in the Scriptures when Jesus is described as being alone. This often means we respond incorrectly to our own ‘alone’ moments. We assume we have been abandoned by God or have misheard from God about our vision, calling, or gifts.

Understanding what Jesus did when He was alone, highlights that He was more like us than we imagine and encourages us to develop key qualities that will make us better leaders and inspire others.

Matthew 4:1-2 - Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. (KJV)

It sounds counter-intuitive, but to fulfill our callings we have to learn how to follow the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. A wilderness by definition is an uncultivated, uninhabited and inhospitable region. It is a place of deep loneliness and solitude. Many of us have experienced wilderness moments in our lives but have rejected them (often in Jesus’ name). Rather than seek God, we have turned to friends, crowds, or turned back to our old habits, and often lost sight of the vision God originally placed in our hearts. But this is not the aim of the wilderness.

It is in the wilderness that we are supposed to develop our relationship with the Father. I say develop because, to go to the wilderness, one must already be alert to the voice of God. It is quite possible God has already placed a vision in your heart that you ought to fulfill but has led you into the wilderness to focus on Him.

I believe the Holy Spirit leads us into the wilderness to drown out the various voices which distract us and prevent us from fulfilling the will of God. We should not be surprised if in the wilderness we lose things like friends, positions, relationships, or money. This is because the wilderness is a place of neglect and abandonment.

We see it was in the wilderness that Jesus prayed and fasted for forty days. There is no other record of him fasting other than during this period.

It is in the wilderness that we are supposed to learn the art of overcoming the devil through the Word of God. Without any sort of supernatural encounter, we are meant to learn how to be utterly and totally dependent on the Bible as the source of our faith and strength. Notice that the angels ministered to Jesus after He overcame the devil with the Word of God.

It is imperative that, as God lifts us up, we are grounded and rooted in His word, so we are not ourselves tossed away by every wind of doctrine or do not become castaways. As Paul instructed Timothy, we are supposed to pay close attention to the Word, so that we save both ourselves and those we will lead.

1 Timothy 4:16 - Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. (KJV)

Questions: Do I seek the Lord alone? Am I dependent on His Word? Do I feel abandoned? Have I accepted that this season might be an opportunity to draw closer to God?

This devotional was adapted from the author’s debut book entitled ‘The Greatest Leader of All Time – The Interactions of Jesus Christ According to the Gospel of Matthew’. Find out more here.