Where Faith and Crisis Meet

As a kid growing up in Southern California, when people talked about "going to the desert," they were referring to taking a trip out to the resort areas of Palm Desert or Rancho Mirage. Being in the desert meant soaking up the sun, lounging by a pool, playing golf on one of Bob Hope's immaculate courses. Going to the desert was a treat, a luxury to escape the pressures and routines of life.

My youthful impressions of "going to the desert" stand in stark contrast to what Jesus experienced in the first few verses of Mark's gospel. We're told that right after Jesus was baptized, the Spirit of God "drove him out into the wilderness" for a 40 day battle with the devil. Unlike the gospels of Matthew and Luke who provide details of this experience and share how Jesus triumphed in the battle, Mark is content to let us know a battle happened and that it was a struggle for Jesus.

We don't find in Mark any commentary on why the Spirit drove Jesus into the desert. But the writer of Hebrews provides some reflection: "Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered" (5:8). While Jesus was profoundly blessed at his baptism and heard God tell him how much he was loved, it was in the desert where he learned obedience.

As a person seeking to live a more authentic, Christ-like life, that truth reminds me that desert times are necessary if we are to learn what obeying God really means. While times of affirmation and blessing are wonderful in their own right, we can't learn obedience in such times. It is only when we are in contexts where we face trial, temptation, and danger that we can be shaped in deeper ways to be faithful to God's intent for us.

That helps me to look at this current economic crisis in a different light. While I desperately want President-elect Obama and his administration to be successful in righting our economy, the current situation provides an opportunity to learn a deeper obedience to God. Central to a life of faith is trusting God. Trusting God when the sun is shining, the economy is growing, and the kids are behaving is one thing. Having that trust when your account values are plummeting, your house has lost a third of its value, and your employer tells you you have thirty minutes to pack your office items is a whole different reality.

Desert times get us down to brass tacks. We are forced to face our demons, confront our fears, and acknowledge our fraility. While profoundly difficult, such times provide the place for us to learn what true faith and obedience is all about. Such times, with the Spirit's help, can bring us to a place where we can obey God's command to trust him, to be generous with what we have, to not worry, and to live according to God's promises and faithfulness--no matter what.

Faith and Economic Crisis Intersection

How has your faith been strengthened and/or challenged by this economic crisis?

New Beginnings...

As the calendar brings a new year, I am reminded that God brings us new beginnings, new hopes, and new dreams again and again. Where would you like to see the Spirit of God work in the coming year?