The desert experience

Good little morsel from preachingtoday.com.

When we follow Jesus into the desert, we are likely to experience what could be called ego desperation. Basically this means acknowledging that our life is not nor ever will be completely under our control. In the desert, the pillars of human power, pleasure, and possession are smashed. One feels powerless, miles away from sources of immediate gratification, the owner of little or nothing of material value. One cannot barter one's way out of loneliness and silence. One can only wait until it passes on the wings of faith and hope.

—Susan Muto in Pathways of Spiritual Living. Christianity Today, Vol. 32, no. 14.