Called, Not Crushed: Moving Forward After the Wilderness

Coming Out of the Wilderness into Purpose

(Matthew 4:12–22)

One of the most striking things to me after the testing is that immediately after the devil fled from Jesus, He didn’t waste time wallowing in the wilderness or doing the “woe is me” dance we often find ourselves in.

He went to work.

He immediately began taking steps toward fulfilling His purpose and walking in His calling.

Even the real threat that John the Baptist had just been arrested for proclaiming the gospel—which is exactly what Jesus was about to do—didn’t stop Him. Jesus defeated the external enemy (Satan), but He also didn’t let internal fears stop His purpose either.

That’s a word in itself.

Next, I noticed how He demonstrated the importance of community.

Scripture says iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17)—and Jesus didn’t try to carry His purpose alone. One of His very first acts was calling His disciples. In Matthew 4:18–22, He sees two brothers—Simon (who would later be called Peter) and Andrew—casting their nets as fishermen. Then He calls James and John, the sons of Zebedee.

Here’s what struck me even more: He called them in pairs.

They were already working in partnership.

They weren’t walking alone.

Sometimes when we try to walk in our calling, we try to take the whole world on our shoulders—and that was never God’s intention. That’s why we grow weary faster. It’s easier for the enemy to attack one, but it’s harder to break two or three who are in alignment.

This reminds me of my own days of coming out of the wilderness.

I spent almost a year in isolation.

And I’ve noticed—the more inward I turn, the heavier the attack becomes.

But the moment I started reconnecting to my church…

The moment I stopped sending my prayer partner to “Do Not Disturb”…

The moment I responded to family instead of ignoring texts…

The moment I reached back out to the people God sent to do life with me…

The attacks lost their grip.

Because I was no longer walking through it alone.

The lesson I’ve learned from Jesus in this part of the text is this:

Even after the wilderness, I don’t have time to sit and ruminate.

I’ve been given an assignment.

Saying yes to the Master of Divinity in Ministry to Women meant stepping out from behind the scenes.

I can’t just write behind a computer screen anymore.

He’s calling me to more—

To go further than what’s comfortable.

To evangelize.

To speak.

To teach.

But I find comfort in knowing: He never created me to do this alone.

I’m answering the call of Matthew 4:19, where Jesus says:

“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

In my case?

Fishers of women.