“And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my beloved Son; in you I take delight.’ At once the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness and there he remained for forty days tempted by Satan.” Mark 1:11-13a REV

Lent is a forty-day period of reflection, prayer, and self-denial that Christians participate in,  preparing for the celebration of Easter. It is a symbolic act in response to the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness.

Jesus, having been named “Beloved son,” at his baptism,  in whom God “takes delight,” is immediately driven by the Spirit of God into the wilderness. Mark doesn’t mention Jesus fasting in there, but tells us that in those 40 days he is tempted by Satan. What those temptations are he leaves to other writers.

For Jesus, the wilderness is a time of searching his heart and soul . . . of defining his purpose and how to live that purpose out, as God’s “Beloved son.”

I find myself resisting the idea of Lent this year. It feels like I’ve been in Lent for months, with one family member after another, dealing with loss or significant health issues. There have been ups and downs as situations have improved or become more stressful. Prayer has been constant.

Which is probably why I was struck by Mark’s note that during Jesus’s wilderness time, “He was among the wild beasts; and angels attended to his needs.” Mark 1:13b    I thought of how precious for Jesus, in the crucible of decision making and struggling with temptations, God sent angels to watch over and care for him.

Wilderness times are moments to look for God’s angels. To take note of who God sends into our lives, as we wrestle with temptations, fears, calamities, uncertainty, griefs and doubt. It is a time to pay attention to acts of loving compassion, mercy and Grace . . . To recognize God’s  angels, disguised as ordinary people,  through whom we are blessed with healing, comfort and peace.