Jesus in your Desolate Place
“Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. ”
The word "desolate" is the Greek word "Eremos" and it means solitary, lonely, deserted by others and uninhabited. When speaking of people, it describes a person that is deprived of aid and protection of family, friends and acquaintances.
Jesus went to a desolate place when He heard about the death of John the Baptist. He went to mourn, and presumably to seek the comfort of His Father. The crowds, however, would not leave him alone. They followed him on foot from the towns. Even though He wanted to be alone, He had compassion on the crowds and healed their sick.
They followed Him to a desolate place, but were not left in a desolate state. He healed them!
When the day got late, His disciples urged Him to send the people away, back to the villages, so that they could buy food for themselves. Jesus told the disciples that they should feed the people; that there was no need for them to leave the desolate place. He took what they had and multiplied it and the people were fed.
Jesus proved that even in the solitary, lonely, deserted, uninhabited places in life, there is still healing and nourishment available if He is there! The people did not make a mistake in following Him. They did not act unwisely in not even stopping to pack a lunch or dinner for themselves or their children. Jesus was there, and because He was there, everyone's needs were met, and then some (And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over).
They are our example! If Jesus is in a desolate place, then we have to follow Him. If He leads us there, then we must have faith that healing and nourishment are there for us, despite what the desolate place looks like!
What desolate place are you in right now? Has the Lord led you there? If so, have faith. The fish and the bread are there, and look around; you are not alone. He is with you, and chances are, so are other lionesses.