Are you going through that desert place?  Have burdens and doubts buried you like the blowing sands of a windstorm?
Maybe it’s your marriage. You feel like a woman wasting away…starved for affection, attention, acceptance.  Or, the dreams for your children have shriveled to dry bones–lifeless and unresponsive.  It could be illness has robbed you of  health. You search for solace…a respite…an oasis from the physical and emotional pain.
Your prayers seem like waater poured out on the burning sand; evaporting as soon as the words emerge from your dry lips.
Friend,  there is Hope.  He, too, endured trials in the desert–forty days of hungering and thirsting…forty days of yearning for relief.  Then, in his weakest and most vulnerable moments, Hope faced Temptation.
Seek your own fulfillment and you’ll be fed.  Indulge your desires for you only live once.  Deny God and serve yourself.
When we’re wandering in a spiritual desert, we’re faced with the same temptations. Isn’t there an easier way?   Why hasn’t God answered my cries for help?  How long must I wander in this wasteland?
Look to Hope, friend.  He understands.  He endured.  And He received his reward.
The desert place has boundaries.  There is a beginning…and an end.  And even in the most desolate place, God is with us.  His promises hold true and He provides relief.  He offers cool streams of water.  He gives us Hope.
Scripture for Reflection 
Matthew 4:1-11