Divine Intervention

In order to defeat someone in battle, you may need to be patient.

After his baptism, 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. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'" Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'" Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. - Luke 4:1-13

I cannot imagine going forty days without food or water.  I would think it would be impossible.

But if it is possible, surely one would be very weak at the end of that time.  The devil knew that, so he waited until Jesus was too weak to fight him, or so he thought.

What the devil was trying to do was have Jesus use his divine power to satisfy his human desires.  

Jesus used his power to help others, but drew the line at using it for himself.  That is what I believe the message is for us in this.

There is no way we could avoid all temptation, especially if we are in extreme situations, like Jesus was, not having eaten for forty days.  But we can try to emulate him in one regard.

We can avoid using our power and influence for our own gain, and use it instead to help others.

That is the challenge for all of us, because it is so tempting to reward ourselves.

So, the message of patience works both ways.

The devil was patient, hoping to get through to Jesus when he was weak.  But Jesus too was patient, holding off in using his power until it would do good for someone else.

We accumulate our wealth in many ways, and we love to spend it on our own desires, but if we are patient and hold onto it for a while, we just might come across someone who needs a little help.

More to come...