LESSONS FROM THE DESERT - PART I

There are many biblical accounts of people who went through the desert before they MATURED, UNDERSTOOD, LEARNED, WERE REFINED, and DREW CLOSER TO GOD: the people of Israel leaving Egypt, Moses, Elijah, David, and others. Today I chose to talk about Jesus in this situation.

Matthews 4:1-11

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness

“1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.

6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,

    and they will lift you up in their hands,

    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.

9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended Him.”

This was a very significant moment in Jesus’ journey on earth, and it precedes the beginning of His full ministry of proclaiming the Kingdom of God, as it symbolizes precisely this period of preparation through silence, scarcity, loneliness, isolation, suffering, and challenges to be overcome. He was in the desert.

The desert is not necessarily a physical place—dry and arid. The desert can also be a metaphorical season we experience on a spiritual and/or emotional level. That is why there is a difference between “desert” and “wilderness.”

“The wilderness is where life refuses to follow our plans. These are the dry, uncertain, and uncomfortable seasons where we find ourselves in places we never imagined. And yet, throughout Scripute, the wilderness is precisely where God forms His peoples. It’s the classroom where trust is taught”

Glorify February 25, 2026.

So, I started thinking about us—about each one of our lives. And I tried to reflect on situations in our lives that we might describe as a “desert.”

For example:

We immigrants. Arriving in a new country, with a different culture, another language, new people, different customs, different food. Leaving behind our history, our culture, our home, our people—even friends and family. And some of us coming from situations of war, fleeing death and oppression.

It may be that we are walking through a desert: silence, scarcity, loneliness, isolation, suffering, and many challenges.

We parents. Certain situations involving our children—such as divorce, heartbreak, illness, rejection, distance, or inappropriate choices—can make us feel as though we are facing a desert: silence, scarcity, loneliness, isolation, suffering, and challenges.

Those of us who are waiting for something—whether it’s a response to an immigration application (PR, Work Permit), a reply from a job you’ve applied for, an important decision in your life, or a solution to a problem.

We may be facing a desert: silence, scarcity, loneliness, isolation, suffering, and challenges.

Those of us who are sick—whether in body or in soul. Waiting for surgery, waiting for medication to take effect, struggling with the anguish of depression, anxiety, fear, or exhaustion.

We are facing a desert: silence, scarcity, loneliness, isolation, suffering, and challenges.

Those of us who love. Watching a loved one suffer pain or face death. Goodbyes. Breakups. Betrayals. Separations.

We are facing a desert: silence, scarcity, loneliness, isolation, suffering, and challenges.

Those of us who dream. Frustrations. The need to work so hard just to survive that dreams become a luxury. Low self-esteem. Discouragement.

We are facing a desert: silence, scarcity, loneliness, isolation, suffering, and challenges.

And so on…

Do you see? Surely you have already been through—or are going through—one of these deserts. What I want you to think about today is not to discourage you. On the contrary, I want to encourage you! EVERY DESERT CAN BE CROSSED! IT CAN BE LEFT BEHIND!

Because every desert we cross with God becomes a wilderness—not a dry land, but a fertile land for learning.

So today, with Jesus, I want to highlight three important lessons so that we can cross our desert—whatever it may be—making the most of it: LEARNING!

SURVIVAL MANUAL:

Lesson Number 1: FEED YOURSELF

³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

— Matthew 4:3-4

Staying nourished and hydrated is essential for survival. And since we are talking about soul and spirit, the nourishment and water come directly from the Source: God!

The more the desert seems frightening and difficult, holding on to faith and hope that comes from the Lord. Feed yourself from Him!

Lesson Number 2: STAY SAFE (in Faith)!

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city, set him on the highest point of the temple, and said,

⁶ “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

— Matthew 4:5-7

The greatest miracle you will see in your life is called faith—the renewal and strength that come from the Lord.

So, in the midst of the desert, don’t ask for a miracle as if that’s the only way out. Worse than waiting is putting God on the spot, as if He needs to prove He is God by changing your situation.

Just believe that He can end your desert. And if He doesn’t take you out of it, know that He is there with you.

Lesson Number 3: STAY FOCUSED!

⁸ Then the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.

⁹ And he said to him, “All this I will give you if you bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.’”

— Matthew 4:8-10

Sometimes, in the desert, we long so much to get out of a situation that we lose focus and end up idolizing what we think we will have outside of it: healing, the dream job, citizenship, a perfect relationship… and that becomes our god.

In Conclusion:

If you are in the desert—or if you ever enter one—you will only find the resources for survival spiritually. Face it as your wilderness and recognize that Jesus is there with you.

FEED YOURSELF from the Lord! Read His Word!

STAY SAFE in faith! Pray!

STAY FOCUSED on the Lord! Worship Him!

And after going through this, try to understand what you've learned.

“Life with God is not immunity from difficulties, but peace in difficulties”

C.S. Lewis

Dani Caldeira