Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
In His incarnation, the Son of God met and wrestled with the same kind of problems that we have to deal with. He "was in all points tempted like as we are," not the least of which was to be sure of His own identity. Can you resonate with Him in that problem? Doubtless He wrestled with it all His earthly life (even on His cross!), but it was most severe in the weeks following His baptism when He had to make a fateful decision that determined the success or failure of His life mission.
He had just heard the Voice from heaven that said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17). Actually, the message was not new to Him, for He had already read it in Isaiah 42:1 and Psalm 2:7.
But the enemy of our souls came at Him in the wilderness with the insinuating, sneering question: "Who are You? You are nothing! If You were the Son of God, do You think God would leave His 'only begotten Son' out here alone in this forlorn wilderness with wild animals, hungry, uncared for? If You are the Son of God, prove it; put Your convictions to the test. It's only reasonable--command that these stones become loaves of freshly baked, delicious bread. Surely, if You are the Son of God, He doesn't want You to die of starvation!"
Jesus couldn't argue with the devil; it was a fact--He was emaciated, hungry, lonely, apparently forsaken. Everything seemed to be against Him, and in Satan's favor. Jesus must now decide: Shall I trust the Word of God? Or shall I trust My feelings? Who am I?
"It was the word [alone] that declared His connection with heaven," says one wise writer. In that fearful temptation that called forth every ounce of His spiritual energy, the fate of His mission was settled: He would trust the Word of God to resolve the question of His identity. The struggle was so exhausting that He almost died then and there; but He had won the victory.
So must we win--that same Voice that spoke at His baptism speaks to us, for when the Father embraced Jesus, He embraced us too, "in Him" (Eph. 1:6).
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 7, 2000.
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