Have there been periods in your life when you felt like you were wandering in a wilderness, deserted, feeling helpless in some way? Then you are in good company. Such were the beginnings of Joseph, Moses, and, yes, even Jesus.

Joseph, one of Jacob’s twelve sons, was obviously the favorite, but at seventeen years old was sold to slave traders by his brothers for twenty pieces of silver. He was betrayed and deserted by his family, exposed to sexual temptation, endured long imprisonment, and was forgotten by those he helped. Recall the story of Potiphar’s wife and her attempted seduction of Joseph.

“Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.” Genesis 39:20-21 NIV. Read Genesis chapters 39-40 for complete details. You see, God was preparing Joseph for great things. But for all his suffering, Joseph’s story had a happy ending when he was placed in charge of all of Egypt. Read Genesis chapter 41.

Moses, after he had grown up, “saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.” Exodus 2:11-12 NIV. To save his life, Moses fled to the desert of Midian and lived there for forty years. How humbling it must have been for Moses to leave the life of an Egyptian prince to become a lowly shepherd.

The Lord wanted to refine and purify Moses and make him fit for His use. Moses had always relied on his hot temperament for problem-solving (killing the Egyptian). We are not told how he survived the wilderness for those four decades. There is no doubt that God always led and helped him. But God had a plan – He was preparing him for more incredible things.

The lesson we can take from these stories is this. If we want to be perfected by God (and fit for His use), we must undergo His trials and refinements to rid ourselves of our corrupt disposition. In the valleys, we look to God, rely on His almighty wisdom, and come to know Him. Neither Joseph nor Moses became bitter because of their hardships; they refined and maintained their faith in God.

First, we must understand that Satan, the devil is real, not symbolic. Secondly, when temptation is powerful, take a step back and consider whether Satan may be trying to block God’s purposes for your life (or maybe another’s). Scripture tells us in Matthew 4:1 NIV, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil.” After His baptism by John the Baptist, Jesus went into the wilderness. He is a fallen angel continuously tempting those who follow and obey God (just as he tempted Eve in the Garden).

Jesus was quite vulnerable in His time of temptation in the wilderness – tired, hungry, and alone. In my eighty years, I can recall instances of being alone, tired, and hungry, and temptations would creep in. Most of us have been in that situation as well. Sometimes we stumbled, but God and our Guardian Angels were propping us up with encouraging nuances. We may not have heard His spoken Word; however, we certainly felt his presence and guidance.

One may ask why Jesus allowed himself to be tempted in the first place. Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell the story from different perspectives. My preference is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, which depicts Jesus being led under the impulse of the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to pray and fast for forty days. Note that Satan could not approach Jesus until after his forty days of intense prayer and fasting. The lesson here is that Jesus, and not Satan, takes the initiative in the struggle between good and evil.

Through an excruciating death came the greatest gift. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, gave His life so that we may stand in the presence of the Father, the One True God, and live with Him for eternity in Heaven. We honor the memory of Jesus’ death on Good Friday of Holy Week and celebrate His resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Patricia Watson Throckmorton was born in Sampson County and lived in the Waycross/Taylors Bridge areas for many years. She is a retired registered nurse and a published author for two books.