When God Takes You Into the Desert

Psalm 22:1 is one of the most famous verses in the Bible. It was written by King David and quoted by Jesus a thousand years later while he was near the end of his agonizing hours on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 

David wrote those words to convey a sense of abandonment. Jesus quoted this verse because it’s how he felt as he was dying on the cross. But God did not abandon his only Son, just as he did not abandon David, who wrote these words at the end of Psalm 22: “They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!”  

What the Psalms teach us, and what Jesus accomplished for us, is that we can trust God to be with us, even in our darkest times. I thought about this as the world learned about the tragic story of the flood in Texas that took so many lives. Perhaps you wondered the same thing. Or maybe your feeling of abandonment is personal as you experience a difficult season. 

Is it possible to proclaim the righteousness of God during your darkest days? 

In his exceptional book, A Praying Life, Paul Miller writes that there are four responses we can have when facing difficulties. We can be in denial that something is wrong. We can despair that there’s no way out. We can determine to fix things on our own. But none of these responses work. Only the fourth response is the one that will give us hope: we can acknowledge that God has taken us into the desert.  

God sometimes takes us into the desert so we can experience him in a way that strengthens our faith. “When we don’t receive what we pray for,” Miller writes, “it doesn’t mean God isn’t acting on our behalf. Rather, he is weaving his story into ours.” This is what happened in the Old Testament when Joseph was falsely accused and sent to prison — and when Moses had to flee to the desert and live as an outcast for 40 years. And it happened when Jesus was led into the desert and tempted by Satan.  

In each case just listed, God was weaving his story of redemption and hope into the stories of those who were faithful to him. God used Joseph and Moses at different times to preserve his people — and when Jesus defeated Satan and Death by his own death on the cross. God was weaving his great story of redemption into the life of his Son, who willingly sacrificed his life so we could have the gift of salvation and eternal life. Here’s how the apostle Paul describes it in his letter to the Philippian church:  

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,  in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:8-11) 

What an amazing story! As we like to say at Come and See, it’s the greatest story about the greatest person in history. And now through The Chosen and Come and See  — with your prayers and support — this story is being told to the greatest number of people in a language they can understand.  

This past week I had the privilege of being in Texas on the set of The Chosen as Dallas Jenkins and his extraordinary cast and crew were in production for Season 6 – the Crucifixion season. No doubt you have been following the updates from Dallas on social media, so you know how difficult this season has been. 

Your prayers have made the difference as production has moved from Utah to Italy — and now to Texas — to capture the most intense and impactful 24 hours in history. Dallas and many of the cast members have expressed how challenging it has been to tell this story, the ultimate story of God’s love for us and his plan to save us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. They feel your prayers and are grateful for your faithfulness. 

May I encourage you to continue praying? Season 6 production will continue through the middle of September, so don’t let up! As Paul writes in his letter to the Colossian church, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watching and thankful” (Colossians 4:2). 

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Don’t you love that? 

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When we watch God work, just as he is doing through The Chosen, we can be thankful for the millions of lives being changed for eternity.  

As for that desert you may be going through, let me leave you with this encouragement: what David wrote 3,000 years ago, and what Jesus accomplished on the cross 2,000 years ago, have profound meaning for you today. All along God has been working on your behalf, weaving his story into yours, making it possible for you to go through the desert today, no matter how difficult your circumstances may be, and no matter how dark the world may seem. You can trust God because Jesus has done it!

Stan Jantz

Global Ambassador

Come and See

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