BEING IN THE DESERTS
"SO the child grew and became strong in spirit, AND WAS IN THE DESERTS TILL THE DAY OF HIS MANIFESTATION TO ISRAEL."
Luke 1:80 (NKJV)
The text, the Bible passage, was about the childhood of John the Baptist. He was in the desert until the appropriate time to be shown or made known to the world. God usually causes whoever would be used to be in the deserts for a period of time, waiting for the day of his or her manifestation.
When you are called into the ministry work, you would be allowed to go through certain things and remain unknown for a period of time, this symbolizes being in a desert.
At such a period, God will cause you to grow and become strong in the things of the Spirit. In other words, It is a time of preparation, to be equipped for the assignment ahead.
Your duration in the desert is determined by the magnitude of your work or assignment. If your ministry would be a worldwide ministry, your being in the desert might take a while; for you to be properly groomed or prepared. Do not rush. Submit and wait on God, and cooperate with the Holy Spirit, to be properly groomed and nurtured for the work ahead. You become spiritually strong in the desert!
It is not a strange thing to have it rough and tough at the onset of your assignment or ministry work (1 Peter 4:12,13).
Some people go about peddling a wrong teaching, wanting people to believe there are no challenges in the ministry work, but It is far from the truth: "YOU THEREFORE MUST ENDURE HARDSHIP AS A GOOD SOLDIER OF JESUS CHRIST" (2 Timothy 2:3 NKJV).
READ: Acts 9:1516; 2 Corinthians 6:3-5
It depends, some people's desert experience may be longer, whilst some are not all that long. It all depends on the assignment or the work you are being prepared to do:
15 BUT WHEN IT PLEASED GOD, WHO SEPARATED ME FROM MY MOTHER'S WOMB AND CALLED ME THROUGH HIS GRACE, 16 TO REVEAL HIS SON IN ME, THAT I MIGHT PREACH HIM AMONG THE GENTILES, I DID NOT IMMEDIATELY CONFER WITH FLESH AND BLOOD, 17 NOR DID I GO UP TO JERUSALEM TO THOSE WHO WERE APOSTLES BEFORE ME; BUT I WENT TO ARABIA, AND RETURNED AGAIN TO DAMASCUS" (Galatians 1:15-17 NKJV).
In the above passage, Arabia could be likened to Paul's wilderness or desert before the commencement of his ministry. It was after three years or thereabouts before he was made known to the Apostles in Jerusalem—he was unknown and hidden (Galatians 1:18,22).
At the initial stage or the onset of your ministry, you might be unknown to many, especially at the time of being in the desert or wilderness (Luke 1:80; Galatians 1:22).
The goal and the concern of whoever is called into the ministry work is not about being known but being faithful in the assignment in order to please God who enlisted him or her as a soldier of the cross—God's minister: "NO ONE ENGAGED IN WARFARE ENTANGLES HIMSELF WITH THE AFFAIRS OF THIS LIFE, THAT HE MAY PLEASE HIM WHO ENLISTED HIM AS A SOLDIER" (2 Timothy 2:4 NKJV).
He or she should not be entangled with the affairs of life that could cause them to trip up in their race for the Kingdom:
"SINCE WE HAVE SUCH A HUGE CROWD OF MEN OF FAITH WATCHING US FROM THE GRANDSTANDS, LET US STRIP OFF ANYTHING THAT SLOWS US DOWN OR HOLDS US BACK, AND ESPECIALLY THOSE SINS THAT WRAP THEMSELVES SO TIGHTLY AROUND OUR FEET AND TRIP US UP; AND LET US RUN WITH PATIENCE THE PARTICULAR RACE THAT GOD HAS SET BEFORE US" (Hebrews 12:1 the Living Bible).
You would do well to cooperate with God and learn whatever is needed to learn, at the desert time of your ministry, on whatever you are being prepared for.
Note: your day of manifestation in the ministry work could only come when you have taken the time to be in the deserts and learn whatever needed to be learnt for the assignment or ministry given to you: "AFTER YOU HAVE SUFFERED FOR A LITTLE WHILE, THE GOD OF ALL GRACE [who imparts His blessing and favor], WHO CALLED YOU TO HIS OWN ETERNAL GLORY IN CHRIST, WILL HIMSELF COMPLETE, CONFIRM, STRENGTHEN, AND ESTABLISH YOU [making you what you ought to be]" (1 Peter 5:10 Amps).
READ: Luke 1:80
Peace.