Stardate 09.01.2026
I'm beginning to understand what the desert might feel like.
I'm away from home and working on assignment. Yesterday, the temperature reached 101 degrees. We are working in tents, and there isn't much shelter from the heat.
During my morning meditation, a question came to me.
Why did Jesus, the Son of the Most High God, go into the desert for 40 days?
He went there to prepare Himself for what His Father willed for Him.
That thought stayed with me.
In my own small way, I feel like I'm in a desert right now. I'm away from family and friends. I'm working in difficult conditions. I'm surrounded by voices.
Something I heard at church last Sunday came back to me.
Peter heard Jesus tell His disciples that He would suffer and die. Peter didn't want to hear that. He tried to persuade Jesus to change direction.
Peter heard Jesus, but he only partially listened. The main part of the message was Jesus telling of the Resurrection. Peter never heard that part.
Then there was Satan.
Satan tried to become a voice of influence over Jesus Himself.
Jesus rejected that voice.
I've thought about those two examples since Sunday.
There are voices everywhere in the modern world. Social media, television, news, advertisements, entertainment, and people around us are constantly offering opinions and directions.
Yesterday, two leaders asked me about my writing.
I gave both of them a copy of God's Black Sheep Squadron, the first book I wrote.
That book wouldn't have happened without listening to other writers.
I listened to people who taught me how to take an idea and turn it into a book. They helped me learn how to get the book published.
The message inside that book came from somewhere different.
Forgiveness is a message I learned through my own experience.
Yesterday reminded me that listening isn't the problem.
The question is who I'm listening to.
This is one reason I don't watch television when I'm on the road.
There are enough voices around me already.
I've become more intentional about what I allow into my mind.
Jeremiah understood something about listening, too.
God gave Jeremiah a message for His people. Jeremiah didn't like the message, and the people didn't receive it well. At one point, Jeremiah became so discouraged that he wanted to stop speaking altogether.
The message still needed to be heard.
That makes me think about my own listening.
Jesus teaches me to be careful about the voices I allow to influence me.
Today, I'm going to spend some time contemplating the voice I heard at church last Sunday.
I'm going to pray about it.
I'm going to listen.
And I'm going to do my best to follow God's plan for my life.
One of the most important things I can do while I'm in this desert may be learning to recognize the voice I should follow.
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” — Jeremiah 33:3
Join me here:
https://substack.com/@michaelmulliganlivelong
Captain's Addendum
Spock: Michael, there appear to be quite a few voices competing for your attention.
Bones: Yeah, Spock. Maybe the Captain should listen to the one that actually matters.
Spock: An exceptionally logical suggestion, Doctor.
There are days when I don't need another opinion.
I need to quiet the noise long enough to hear God.
That's where I am today.
Listening.
