A voice in the wilderness

From John 1

He stood in the river, vast sky stretching above him, the water tugging at his knees. A wild man in the wilderness holding out hope. The people came to him because here, at last, was a message; here, at last, was a voice.

Sometimes the wilderness is desolate, the parched tangle of the world crying out for what it has lost. Sometimes it is beauty, the upward yearning of creation expanding our own souls. Most often it is both. And in the wilderness we find space and silence. We find room for our lament.

In the wilderness a man spoke, and the people came. Walked from the noise and distraction of their lives into the space where the message found a voice. Crowded the riverbanks, stood at the edge of their suffering and met hope. Here is where they began to make room for God, and here is where God found them.

Jesus came to that wilderness, walked right into that river, past the judges who hovered with arms crossed. He didn’t give a sermon or wow everyone with a miracle. He simply waded in to be with his people, went down into the water, opened Himself to receive God. He paved the way.

That’s what He does. He comes to us. He finds us in the wilderness. In the stark, thirsty places; in the still, lovely places. Sometimes He blazes up in the darkness from a burning bush and turns our lives upside down. Sometimes He simply wades in, holds out His hand, and calls us to join Him.

Sometimes you are forced into the wilderness. Sometimes you flee there. Sometimes you simply go there because there is nowhere left to go. And sometimes you live there for a while. You receive a message and you become a voice calling, and the people come and find what they were looking for.

But first you have to find it for yourself.