Trusting God in the Desert

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1).

There are times in life when you will find yourself in the desert. Everything seems dry. The silence is loud. The comfort you used to know seems far away. God feels distant, like He’s abandoned you. Life feels fragile. And you wonder if you’ve been forgotten.

Maybe you’re in the desert now. Maybe you’re facing a temptation so fierce that you’re scared to admit it out loud. Maybe your health is failing and the Lord seems silent. Maybe your prayers have turned into sighs, and your days are filled with dread. Maybe you’re spiritually dry—reading the Word, attending worship, but feeling nothing. And so, you ask: Why am I in the desert? Why would God allow this?

But here is the real question: Will I trust the Lord to bring me through the desert, or will I complain about being in it?

Led into the Desert

It’s striking, isn’t it? Matthew says Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Not by accident. Not because He got lost. The Spirit led Him—intentionally and purposefully—into a place of hunger, exposure, and temptation.

This should remind us of the Israelites in Exodus. God delivered them from slavery in Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. But not long after they crossed the Red Sea, what happened? They grumbled. They complained. They doubted. “Why did you bring us out here to die?” they complained to Moses. “We had it better in Egypt.” They forgot the promise. They forgot to trust.

The desert revealed what was in their hearts, and it reveals what’s in ours too.

What the Desert Reveals

The Law shows us that we are no better than Israel. When we’re pressed, we panic. When we’re tested, we tremble. When things don’t go our way, we grumble and accuse. We say things like:

“God, where are You?”

“Why don’t You do something?”

“If You really loved me, I wouldn’t be going through this right now.”

We want quick fixes and soft paths. We don’t want to wait. We want bread, peace, and healing now. And when God doesn’t meet our expectations, we act like spoiled children—we grumble.

The desert exposes us. That’s what the Law does. It doesn’t merely point out bad behavior; it exposes the unbelief underneath. The root sin of the wilderness is not disobedience; it’s distrust.

And when we hear the Law clearly, we are left with no excuses—no justification. Just the realization: “I have not feared, loved, and trusted in God above all things.” And the truth is—we cannot overcome the desert on our own.

But Jesus can.

Jesus in the Desert for You

Jesus doesn’t just wander into the wilderness; He marches straight into it as the new Israel and the second Adam—the faithful Son. The devil tempts Him in every way he tempted Eve, Israel, and you and me:

• “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” In other words: “Don’t wait for God’s provision. Take matters into Your own hands.” But Jesus responds, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
• “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.” In other words: “Make God prove Himself. Force His hand.” But Jesus replies, “You shall not tempt the LORD your God.”
• “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” In other words: “Take the crown without the cross. Take the shortcut to glory.” But Jesus answers, “You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.”

And with each temptation, Jesus does what Adam failed to do, what Israel failed to do, and what you and I fail to do: He trusts the Father—perfectly and fully—without wavering. He does not fall for the devil’s lies. He does not complain about the wilderness. He does not reach for comfort, demand proof, or grab control. Instead, He clings to the Word, for each time He says, “It is written.”

And He does this for you. And that is the Gospel: that Jesus went into the desert not to show you how to overcome temptation by sheer force of will, but to overcome it for you. His obedience is your righteousness. His faithfulness is your covering. His victory is your hope.

When you fall in the desert, He stands in your place. When you give in to temptation, He remains steadfast for you. When you are weak, He is strong. And His strength becomes yours by faith. “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

God does not abandon us in our weakness—He meets us there. In fact, the very place where we feel most helpless—the desert, the temptation, the trial—is where Christ’s power rests on us most fully. When we feel spiritually dry, God is still watering us with His grace. When we are too weak to stand, Jesus stands in our place. And when we cry out in weakness, He responds not by removing every struggle, but by saying: “My grace is sufficient for you.”

So, even if the desert lingers longer than we’d like, we can take heart: our strength is not in ourselves, but in Christ, and His strength is perfect.

Trusting God in the Desert

So, now we return to the question: When I am in the desert, will I trust the Lord to bring me through it, or will I complain about being in it?

We are tempted to think that if we were truly faithful, we’d never end up in the desert. But that’s not true. The desert is not always a punishment. Sometimes it’s the very place God brings us to draw us near. Theologically, we call it the alien work of God—that He permits our suffering in order to bring us to His grace and trust evermore in Him.

For in the wilderness, He strips away our golden calves—our false gods. He reveals our need. He teaches us to depend not on ourselves, but on Him. Even Jesus, though perfect, was not spared the wilderness. But He was not abandoned. The Father sustained Him. The angels ministered to Him. And the devil fled from Him.

And so it will be for you.

Yes, you will enter deserts, but you will never enter them alone.

Yes, you will be tested, but Jesus is with you.

Yes, you will be tempted, “but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13-14). This does not mean “God will not give you more than you can handle.” Rather, it means when you are given more than you can handle, God will be with you.

And when you fall, Jesus will lift you up again, because He has already borne your sin and carried your grief.

The Desert is Not the End

The wilderness is not forever. The temptation is not the final word. Jesus has walked through the desert and come out victorious. And because you are united to Him, His victory is your victory.

So, when you’re weary, look to Christ.

When you’re tempted, go to His Word.

When you’re weak, trust in His strength.

When you feel lost, remember He was led by the Spirit too, and He leads you now.

So, when you find yourself in the desert, don’t be afraid. And ask yourself, not with guilt, but with faith: Will I trust the Lord to bring me through this desert? Or will I complain about being in it?

And when your trust falters, remember this:

Jesus never complained.

Jesus never doubted.

Jesus never gave in.

And Jesus did it all for you.