Desert Song

This is my prayer in the desert, 
When all that's within me feels dry...

So begins one of Hillsong United's songs. The song, entitled "Desert Song" (my goodness I feel like I've said 'song' a lot), is one of my all time favorites, and I probably would never have found it had it not been for iTunes' $0.69 songs. While music shopping one day, I stumbled upon a good helping of Hillsong music, all on sale. Although I, up until that point, hadn't really been a fan of Hillsong, I sampled the music. And I was surprised.

I actually really liked some of their music! This was particularly remarkable because, though I'd grown up around Christian music, I never really liked it. For years I had refused to even stand during worship at church, but here I was, in 2011, going crazy buying Hillsong music! I ended up buying a handful of songs, one of them being "Desert Song", which I quickly fell in love with.

This is my prayer in my hunger and need,
My God is the God who provides...


The more that I listened to this 4 minute, 40 second song, the more I began to appreciate it. I began to notice the chords and the melody, the passion in the song's spirit, and most of all, the inspired lyrics. Then, several weeks after purchasing the song, I had one verse in particular in my devotional: Matthew 4:1. I'd read the verse before, and growing up, I'd heard the story behind it in Sunday school. But it wasn't until reading it in my devotional that I fully understood it. It says,

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the Devil.
~ Matthew 4:1, NIV (1984 version)

This is my prayer in the fire,
In weakness or trial or pain...

When you first read it, you think, "Okay yeah. Jesus goes into the desert and then He's tempted, the end." But what happens when you look at this seemingly simple verse again, this time under a closer lens? This is easiest when the verse is broken up into several parts.

//Then Jesus was led by the Spirit//into the desert//to be tempted by the Devil.//


There is a faith proved of more worth than gold,
So refine me, Lord, through the flame...


Before we go into detail with the segments, notice how the verse doesn't say, "Then Jesus walked into the desert and there He ended up facing some temptations." It says that Jesus was led by the Spirit. Meaning that Jesus had received the beautiful gift of the Holy Spirit (if you really devour my statement, you may get confused, considering that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are technically the same... so, don't devour it. We can discuss the Trinity some other time.) and He allowed It* to change Him. He allowed the Spirit to speak and move in His life, and He obeyed Its call. (Hmm, we could take some cues from this Jesus guy!)

When we let the Holy Spirit lead us, we will find that what we had once called "life" was really nothing at all in comparison to what God will give us. But that's not to say that a Spirit-led, Spirit-filled life will be easy. Because it won't.

I will bring praise, I will bring praise,
No weapon formed against me shall remain...

Life led by our Father isn't meant to be easy. It's meant to be difficult, and it's meant to require perseverance and faith. And it's meant to be joyous and glorious. Thought it may seem as if those two contradict, they really don't. Take a peek at some verses from 2 Corinthians:

Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. ... In all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.
~ 2 Corinthians 6:10, 7:4 (NIV, '84)


I will rejoice, I will declare,
God is my victory and He is here...


You see, our circumstances don't determine the level of our joy. The Spirit that fills our souls determines that.

Anyways, Jesus, Spirit-filled, ventures out into the wilderness of the desert. (As a quick sidenote, think about this: you must be filled with the Spirit before you enter your true desert.) There He finds torrid, dry days and bitterly frigid nights. In the desert, there is no comfortable or easy time. Water is scarce, the sun is cruel, and the moon is crueler. Cacti reign and scorpions patrol the sands. There's nobody around for miles. All you can see is sand, sand, and more sand, and all you can feel is weather beating at your back. It feels hopeless, your situation filled with despair.

This is my prayer in the battle,
When triumph is still on its way...

Though Jesus was in a literal desert, most of us won't actually find ourselves alone in one. Our "deserts" will be more metaphorical--your mom is in the hospital, your spouse was just diagnosed with cancer, you're impoverished--but trying nonetheless. When someone you love is dying, or when you yourself are facing hardship, it's quite easy and convenient to fall into depression and weariness. But if you have joy in your heart...

Well, if you have joy, you will be able to withstand the beatings. In one way or another, God will pull you through, and you'll survive, hopefully with your faith even stronger than before.

I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ,
So firm on His promise I'll stand...

Sure, deserts suck. But we must stand firm in knowing that God has led us there for a purpose. And that, if we stick with Him, our blessings will be immense, and His glory will shine.

"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 
~ Matthew 26:41 (NKJV)

I will bring praise, I will bring praise,
No weapon formed against me shall remain...

So where are you right now? Are you in the desert, just as Jesus was? Let me tell you something about deserts. If you're not in one, that probably means one of two things: 1) You're not Spirit-filled and Spirit-led... yet. You can always turn to God and He will  never let you down. or 2) You've already been there, and you're waiting in the oasis. But the next time that you encounter the desert... you'll know that no matter how long and winding the tunnel, there is always a light at the end.

Let "Desert Song" become one of your staples. "In every season" know that God is "still God" and that we "have a reason to worship." To quote Galaxy Quest, "Never give up! Never surrender!"

If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.

~ 2 Timothy 2:12

Buy "Desert Song" (Amazon mp3)
Desert image from Wikipedia, music video from Youtube.

*I refer to the Holy Spirit as "It" in this entry to avoid confusion. See this passage.