May 15

John found in the wilderness his school and his sanctuary. Like Moses amid the mountains of Midian, he was shut in by God's presence, and surrounded by the evidences of His power. It was not his lot to dwell, as did Israel's great leader, amid the solemn majesty of the mountain solitudes; but before him were the heights of Moab, beyond Jordan, speaking of Him who had set fast the mountains, and girded them with strength. The gloomy and terrible aspect of nature in his wilderness home vividly pictured the condition of Israel. The fruitful vineyard of the Lord had become a desolate waste. But above the desert the heavens bent bright and beautiful. The clouds that gathered, dark with tempest, were arched by the rainbow of promise. So above Israel's degradation shone the promised glory of the Messiah's reign. The clouds of wrath were spanned by the rainbow of His covenant-mercy.

          Desire of Ages, page 103 from the chapter, 'The voice in the wilderness'

     I was driving along a road and saw the newspaper headline splashed on a banner, “sorry is not enough”. It would appear that a family can’t forgive someone for something.

     John has found himself in the situation where he can compare the world around him with the worldly around him. I we live our lives surrounded by the goings on in ‘Eastenders’, ‘X-factor’, ‘The Sun’ or are dominated by silly games on tablets and the like, we are ever likely to say, that ‘sorry is not enough’. The atmosphere around us is tainted by the world, we are not absorbed in the Kingdom of God.

     The desert may be dry, the food unusual and the quietness rather unlike our current lives, but at least John had the chance to hear God and His point of view.

     Bryn’s selection today leads us to hear ‘High Country’ sing, ‘The Scarlet Purple Robe’. The band are from Ireland, and as you’ll see the video on Youtube is rather old. The song is excellent. Please click on the picture to listen.