"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, He was famished. . . When the devil had finished every test [temptation], he departed fron Him until an opportune time" (Luke 4: 1, 2, 13, NRSV).

After being baptized and hearing heave's voice affirm him as the Beloved Son, Jesus was led into the wilderness where He fasted for forty days and nights. There the devil confronted Jesus with temptations common to all of us--to be full, not hungry; to hedge the chances of success by accepting the devil's deceptive help, rather than trusting God; and to be certain that God really loves us.

Have you ever been drawn off course into some emotional, physical or spiritual wilderness? Perhaps it was after a big let-down following a significant accomplishment or satisfying, affirming event in your life. Maybe you were headed in the wrong direction or spinning your wheels and going no place. I suspect all of us have.

At times, it can seem we are so deep in the wilderness that we feel so profoundly lost, making us believe that it is too late to get our life back on track. And, even if it is too late, we discover that our own power and resources, however great, are not enough to find our way out. So, why does God lead us into wilderness experiences that test our faith and commitment as we travel the road of faith? 

Only in the widerness of tough, tight and dark places of living can we eventually discover something about God's remarkable, unconditional love, grace and freedom that transform a life. In Jesus, God assures us that it is never too late to come out of the wilderness. In Jesus, God provides us the way out of every wilderness experience.

But, only if Jesus is our first plan of life, not just a back-up plan after our resources and power are exhausted. Then we are transformed from people racing through life with a vague notion of Jesus' life-giving work on the cross into people of faith, of trust, of commitment and of willingness to walk with God in freedom on any and every road where God leads.  

And freedom is what God wants for us. That is why Jesus, the Beloved Son in whom God is well pleased, died. But God's idea of freedom is not about finding something or someone to merely help us cope with life or its wilderness experiences. Rather, in the death and resurrection of Jesus, God holds out to us radical freedom to trust Jesus to lead us out of the wilderness and on every road to a God-shaped vision of who we are and how it can be.

During Lent, remember what Jesus Christ has freed you from. Consider what God has freed you for. You can freely choose to love God, yourself, neighbors and even your enemies. You, all of us, have the opportunity during the forty days of Lent to embrace the faith, the trust, the assurance, the hope and the freedom we have in Jesus Christ.

You can follow Jesus on freedom's road out of the wilderness and on every other road where Jesus leads to create the beloved kingdom of God on earth. It is never too late to experience God's healing and transforming love, grace and freedom. Jesus always provides a way out of the wilderness. It is your choice. It is up to you. Will you?