Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ ” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
Matthew 4:1-11

Dear God, so I woke up this morning and found an email from a friend in our group at church. He told me that he had gone down to the chapel at our church and prayed for my wife and me as we go through something painful. It had to be in the top 5 of humbling, kind, loving things I can think of that anyone has ever done for me. I was overwhelmed by it.

I believe in spiritual warfare, but I don’t live enough like I do. When I look at challenging situations or temptations I often forget to pray about the spiritual realm. But even this story about direct interactions between Jesus and Satan is a reminder that in any crisis I’m facing, even if Satan did cause the crisis itself, he’s certainly trying to influence my response to it.

Father, even now, help me to not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from your mouth. Give me ears to hear, eyes to see your reality, and wisdom/discernment to know how you need me to respond. Help me to not test you. Help me to not doubt your goodness. Help me to keep my faith in you. Thank you for the confirmations you’ve sent me in the past through all sorts of trials. Whether it’s through my work, my marriage, relationships with my children or family of origin, or with others in the community, help me to walk the road you need me to walk so that your will might be done and your kingdom will come to earth.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen