When Power Isn’t Where You Expect It: Finding God in the Wilderness

In Luke 3:1-6, the historian and physician Luke does something fascinating. He lists the most powerful people of his time—Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, Herod, Philip, Lysanias, Annas, and Caiaphas. These were the rulers, the decision-makers, the ones who, by all worldly standards, held the keys to history.

And yet, Luke immediately shifts focus. God’s word—the very voice of heaven breaking into Earth—doesn’t come to Caesar in his palace, Pilate in his seat of governance, or to the religious elite in the temple. Instead, it comes to John the Baptist, a man in the wilderness.

This isn’t just an interesting narrative detail. It’s a powerful statement about where God speaks, how His Kingdom moves, and what that means for us today.

God Speaks in the Wilderness
John wasn’t in the halls of power. He wasn’t surrounded by noise, influence, or the machinery of empire. He was in the wilderness—alone, in solitude, in silence. And that’s where God’s word came to him.

It’s easy to think that if we want to hear from God, it only happens in certain settings—like during a powerful worship service, a great sermon, or when we’re surrounded by community. While those moments are important and life-giving, Luke 3 reminds us that God also speaks in the quiet places, away from the noise and distractions of daily life.

That’s why silence and solitude are so important in our spiritual lives. In a world that constantly demands our attention—through social media, the news, endless notifications, and the pressure to always be doing something—it’s in silence that we learn to listen.

Solitude Prepares Us for the Kingdom
John’s time in the wilderness wasn’t wasted time. It was preparation. Before Jesus began His public ministry, He too spent 40 days in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-2). Moses encountered God in the solitude of the mountain. Elijah heard God’s whisper in the stillness (1 Kings 19:11-13). Over and over, Scripture shows us that God draws people into silence and solitude—not to isolate them, but to prepare them for His Kingdom.

And this is where we need to be careful: The Kingdom of God is not like the kingdoms of this world.

We live in a culture where power is measured by influence, authority, and control. Governments and empires have always been built on strength, wealth, and dominance. Even in the church, we can sometimes buy into the idea that if only the right leaders were in charge, or if we had more influence in politics, then God’s Kingdom would advance.

But John the Baptist, standing in the wilderness, reminds us otherwise. The Kingdom of God doesn’t come through state power, military might, or cultural dominance. It comes through repentance, humility, hearts, and lives prepared to receive Christ and make Him King.

This is why solitude is so important—because it detaches us from the systems and expectations of the world and reorients us to the way of Jesus.

• Solitude reminds us that God's Kingdom is not about control but surrender. In silence before God, we realize we are not in charge—He is. We let go of our need to dominate and instead learn to trust.
• Solitude teaches us that the Kingdom is not about being seen but being shaped. Worldly power seeks recognition, but the greatest work of God often happens in hidden places. In solitude, we allow God to do deep, unseen work in our hearts.
• Solitude exposes our misplaced hopes. If we’ve placed our trust in politics, power, or cultural influence, time alone with God will reveal where our hearts have been led astray. It calls us back to Jesus, the true King, whose rule looks nothing like Rome, Babylon —or yes, even the United States.

John’s message in the wilderness was simple: “Prepare the way of the Lord” (Luke 3:4). And that preparation didn’t come through legislation, elections, or revolutions. It came through repentance, renewal, and realignment with God’s purposes.

What About Us?
Solitude with God is more than just a break from the noise—it is a radical act of resistance against the idea that worldly power is what truly matters.

When we step away from distractions, we step into the reality that God’s Kingdom is already here and moving—not through force, but through transformed hearts.

So, let’s embrace the wilderness. Let’s seek God in solitude. And let’s allow Him to reshape our understanding of power—not as the world gives it, but as Jesus revealed it.

On a Personal Note,
Many of you know that Samantha and I have been on a Sabbatical since my term ended on the Governance Board in January 2025. This time was intentional for much-needed rest and reflection, but what I didn’t know was that this time has been transformational for my walk with Jesus.

In what ways, you might ask? Like more naps, not teaching, or having to volunteer for everything under the sun? That sounds great, but transformational? Not so much.

If I can be honest with you as a part of the body of Canvas Community Church, this season has been transformational because I’ve come to realize that a large part of my identity within the body of Christ has been rooted in what I can do—what I have done. While I encourage each of my fellow church family to serve and live out our calling in action, I’ve realized that the temptation is there for identity fraud, an identity fraud that isn’t the kind where a cybercriminal steals your information, but one where we subtly lean into pride, usefulness, and what we can do for others. These are forms of power that we often carry unknowingly, and it’s tempting to make them our identity.

What I’ve come to realize is that these forms of power—whether we can serve, lead, or even just be useful in the world—are not reflective of the ‘power-under’ Kingdom of God. They are often the very types of worldly power that we need to step away from. I’ve had to learn the hard way that solitude with God has a way of revealing where we’ve unknowingly drawn our sense of worth and power from. In the silence, I’ve seen how easily I’ve connected my identity to my ability to be “needed.”

The season of solitude that came with this sabbatical has been a way for God to speak into that place of power and offer me a deeper, quieter identity that doesn’t come from what I do—but who I am in Christ – especially when it comes to my roles as an Apprentice of Jesus, a Husband, a Father, a Son, and a friend. When we step away from the systems and expectations of the world, we come face-to-face with the reality that the Kingdom of God doesn’t operate by those same power structures. Instead, God’s Kingdom calls us to lay down those forms of “control,” to rest in His grace, and find our identity not in what we can produce but in who we are in Christ.

This sabbatical doesn’t just give me time for rest; it gave me the space to step away from the systems of worldly power that I had unknowingly conformed to, and into the quiet where God could remind me that my worth and purpose come not from what I do for others, but from who I am in Christ. In that space, God gently reshaped and is in the process of reshaping, my understanding of power—not as control or recognition, but as surrender, humility, and trust in His timing.

While life doesn’t stop for Sabbatical or Solitude, we need moments to rest and reflect – moments to quiet our minds and allow God to reshape and recenter our worldview on His good news.

Discussion Questions to Ponder

• How do we tend to trust the power structures we know – like politics, wealth, or influence – instead of the power of God’s Kingdom? What fears or insecurities drive us to do so?
• What does it look like in our daily lives to live as if the power of the Lamb of God is the true authority over the power systems of the world (Matthew 28:18)? How do we surrender to that power in tangible ways?
• In a world that constantly pushes for recognition and success, how do we resist the pressure to seek worldly/secular validation and instead embrace God’s quiet, hidden work in our lives?
• Solitude can be uncomfortable and countercultural. How does stepping away from the noise help us realize where we have placed our hope in worldly power? What changes might God be calling you to make to trust Him more fully?