By Way of the Desert - 365 Daily Readings

Skilled translator and editor Bernard Bangley has selected a devotional reading for every day of the year based upon the anecdotes and sayings of the early Christian mystics known as the Desert Fathers and Mothers. The faith and endurance of those who survived the harsh conditions of desert living continue to inspire contemporary Christians who often struggle in metaphorical deserts of their own. As Bernard Bangley explains: Jesus began his public ministry with forty days of retreat in the desert. After his baptism by desert-dwelling John, Jesus wisely sought uninterrupted time alone with his heavenly Father. Subjected to powerful temptations, he emerged from his wilderness experience not only with a clear understanding of his assignment, but also with the strength to accomplish it.

Elijah discovered that God spoke not in the noisy earthquake, wind and fire, but with "a still, small voice" while he was in the desert hiding from Jezebel.

David escaped to the desert to avoid the wrath of King Saul. There can be little doubt that he conceived the substance of many of his psalms in that lonely place.

The Israelites wandered with Moses for a generation in the desert. And Abraham, near the beginning of the biblical drama, lived a nomadic life in the desert until God had prepared him for his destiny.

The desert is a place where one's relationship with God may become vivid and inspiring. It beckoned alluringly to Christian men and women during the declining years of the Roman Empire. By the fourth century, thousands of Christians lived in the desert areas spanning hundreds of miles on both sides of the Nile. Living in a desert freed a person to think. While survival required necessary time and attention, there were many quiet hours for monks and solitaries to explore their personal inner space. Their recorded insights began our rich heritage of Christian mysticism.

Presented in fresh, modern, English and combined with a relevant passage of Scripture, each selection offers fresh wisdom from the desert for contemporary living, today.