Revelation 17. Into the wilderness again.
Why do I have to go to a wilderness to see the Whore of Babylon (3)? Because the world is so full of temptations and Iamprsquom so caught up in them that the only way to see whatamprsquos behind it all is to leave the city of abominations and look at it from the wilderness the Spirit has taken me to.
There are many wildernesses from which I have seen my sins. Recently, I suffered in a wilderness of partial hearing until I saw the sin of my desire to do what I wanted, not what God wanted for me. I pridefully chose swimming over hearing, winning against others over listening to others.
Yesterday I followed through on my application by going to the hospital and having minor surgery on my ear. It hurt. I canamprsquot go swimming for a long while, but I can hear again. Now to pay attention.
Iamprsquom suffering in a wilderness of fatigue. I have much to do and Iamprsquom getting old. I need to go to bed earlier and do less, but neither is possible at the moment. Itamprsquos just the way things are.
What do I see from my desert of fatigue? I see myself continually trying to do things with my own strength, which even ten years ago was considerable.
Now itamprsquos not but still the habit of self-reliance makes me think I am a king and I can change my world. In my wilderness of fatigue I see that Jesus is King of kings (14) and I need to be who I was created to be in the book of life, a follower of my Lordamprsquos will, happily dependent on him.
In my wilderness of poverty, I saw my sin of intoxication with money as my security and my paradise. I had to go to that wilderness twice in order to see and repent and trust in the Lord.
Wildernesses are good places where nothing distracts me from what God wants me to see, understand, and repent.
Application: spend ten more minutes a day in prayer.
Lord, keep me in the wilderness where I can rest in you, free from the restless city of adulteries.
