Ökenpärlan

**God, draw me to you and my heart will rest.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tested by the devil. After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he finally became hungry. Then the tempter came and said to him: "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Then the devil took him to the holy city and put him on the top of the temple wall and said, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, He shall command his angels, and they shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." Jesus said to him: "It is also written, 'You shall not test the Lord your God.

Then the devil took him up into a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, saying, "All these things I will give you if you will fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him: "Go your way, Satan. For it is written, 'The Lord your God you shall worship, and him only you shall worship. Then the devil left him alone, and angels came and ministered to him. Matthew 4:1-11

The Bible is full of stories set in the desert. The sun burns, we find no spring to quench our thirst, sandstorms can blind us from seeing our way.

How time can pass so slowly! Yet, in the desert, there is no other way straight through. Time must take its course. Immediately after his baptism, Jesus wrestles with his life choice. He is tempted to leave the path he knows is right. Instead, he can go for quick fixes, short-term kicks, material wealth and worldly glory. But he refuses to compromise on what is important to him. He perseveres. Life sometimes contains periods of drought, boredom and thirst. We are tempted to give up, to stop longing and abandon the way of our heart. But the desert pearl says: endure! Every desert has a limit.

**When you look back on periods of drought, boredom and thirst in your life's journey, what has helped you move forward?