Ever have God write a new verse in your Bible?  That is a phrase a family friend once used to describe the moment when you read a verse or passage in a new or fresh way.  She would describe it as the writing of a new verse.  We may not always do that or walk along in scripture the same manner.  It is a tragic thing to miss out on such experiences.  God's word has a way of revealing itself further or deeper as we go along in our study.  I got to have one of those moments yesterday while reading about John the Baptist.  It was as if God wrote a new verse in my mind when reading a familiar story.

Most of us who go to church know at least a little about John.  We hear his story from birth to his ministry around this time of the year in the church calendar.  One of the Sundays of Advent is usually devoted to one aspect of his narrative.  I was reading from Matthew 3 when something jumped out at me.  It tells us that John was in the wilderness as he began the ministry to which he was called.  Just those three words telling us where he was lodged in my brain.  John doesn't start his work in some grand cathedral or among the teeming masses but begins way out yonder in the wilderness.  That sounds odd to me.

Most people who lead in new church work or developing new ministries will do it where there are lots of people.  You research an area to discover who lives there and what are their characteristics.  No intelligent minister would start a cowboy church in an urban setting where people listen to classical or jazz music on the radio.  Would you really launch out into a grand children's work when you live among older adults?  Yet here we read about this evangelist starting his revival meetings way out there where the traffic patterns are limited.  Did he make a mistake or what exactly would God be doing to send him there?

Then we read in Luke 3 that God's word came to him while John was in that lonely place. It suggests not just an information dump from God but specific words directed to him for life and ministry.  We may wind up in the wilderness by dumb decisions of our own creation.  We may end up there because of conditions that are beyond us.  John is in a wilderness called of God to hear Him then respond to Him in obedience.  The result is that the crowds to come out to John as he obeys God in word and deed.  What started in an out of the way place will become a movement that ushers in God's best in Jesus.

Just remember one thing when reflecting on the gospel account.  God can speak to us anywhere, anytime, and in any place.  We limit Him when our view is the world must be perfect for God to operate.  We may also miss out when we are comfortable in life without our ears being in tune with God.  The greatest moments of our journey await us when we pay attention to what God is saying.  Maybe we think God is leading us into wilderness when that is exactly what He is doing.  He guides us where we do not understand in order to gain our full attention.  It worked out all right for John and it may just work out fine for us.

Bro. Trey