Scripture: Galatians 1:15-17
Journal: Why do you think Paul went into Arabia? What would it look like for you to go
into Arabia? Why in the world would God
want that? What do you think would
happen there? How would that impact your
life and your ministry?
Reflection:
But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was
pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles,
I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were
apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to
Damascus. (Galatians 1:15-17)
So after Paul had his
encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, he went immediately into
Arabia. What’s up with that? You would think that he would hit the
streets, telling anyone and everyone about the incredible encounter he’d just
had with the Living Christ. But that’s
not what he did at all. Instead, he went
immediately into Arabia. An
interesting move to say the least. After
all, what was in Arabia? The
answer—absolutely nothing. That was the
whole point. He went into the desert,
the wilderness, which is exactly what the name Arabia really means. He went into a place where it was just him
and God. He went into a place where the
encounter he’d just had with Jesus could continue to grow and to blossom into
all that it was intended to be. He went
into the silence and solitude of the desert to reflect and to prepare and to
pray and to listen and to prepare.
You see, the first movement
of the spiritual life must always be toward Jesus. And Arabia is where that takes place. Arabia is not merely a physical
space—although that is definitely part of it—it is a space where we come face
to face with Jesus over time. It is the
place where he can get his hands on us and strip us bare of all that is not him
in order to make us into all that he desires us to be. The solitude of Arabia is where we are
transformed, equipped, and empowered to be all that God intended us to be and in
order to do all that God called us to do.
The doing can’t properly or powerfully take place without the being. Yes, Paul would go on and preach to the
Gentiles, but not before he met Jesus in the extended solitude of Arabia.
The problem is that most of
us, unlike Paul, are simply not willing to go there. But going into Arabia is not a luxury, it is
a necessity. If we ever desire to have
ministries that are fruitful and authentic and empowered, we must first spend
time in Arabia. Otherwise, the fullness
of what God desires to do in and then through us will never happen. For if we refuse to go there, our lives and
our ministries will always be far less that what God desires them to be. So let us follow Paul’s example and let the
first movement of our lives always be toward Jesus—into Arabia. It will make all the difference in the world.
Prayer
Closing
Prayer: Lord Jesus, apart from you I can do
nothing. Help me to always remember
that. Help the first movement of my life
and my ministry always be toward you.
Amen.
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