And Jesus answered him, “It is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” Luke 4:8
My late wife was dropping me off at the airport. This was going to be a chal- lenging business trip and she knew it, so before I left the car, she suggested that we take a moment to ask God’s blessing on this excursion.
Bobbie prayed for me. Then I prayed for her. I gathered up my things, kissed her goodbye, and was off to the C concourse. As the doors slid open to the terminal, I felt my spirits lifted, buoyed by the time of conversation with God and, of course, the kiss from my wife.
In fewer than sixty seconds, I was standing at an array of scanners and metal de- tectors, only one of which was functional. “Oh great,” I muttered to myself, “all these lines are closed. Where are the TSA workers? What a waste of time.”
After a few minutes, I loaded my small suitcase, laptop, and briefcase onto the conveyor belt and stepped through the MRI tube, lifting my arms. BEEEEEEEP! What’s going on here? I though. This thing never stops me.
I stepped back. The TSA lady glared at me with the same look I used to get from my third-grade teacher, Mrs. Syawalka, when I hadn’t completed my homework assignment. “Do you have a cell phone?” she snapped. I had forgotten to put it in the bin, and her suspicions were aroused. “Can you make it ring?” she asked.
“Frankly,” I said to the lady, “I have no idea how to make it ring.” Instead I scrolled through my last dozen text messages. She was satisfied.
By this time, my suitcase, my briefcase, and my laptop were crammed at the end of the conveyor. As I turned to pick them up, another TSA employee, this time a man who looked like he was really enjoying his day said, “This laptop yours?” “Yes sir,” I responded, trying to keep my composure. “Turn it on for me,” he ordered. I felt my pulse quicken.
Standing there, waiting for my laptop to boot up, I felt myself filling with an uncanny sense of rage. I got mad at the terrorists who forced us into all this airport security. I got mad at the TSA, and I got mad at the manufacturer of my computer who can’t make a machine that gets started more quickly.
By this time I was furious. The peace and confidence I had felt when I entered the airport, just a few short minutes before, was a distant memory. I was looking for something to kick.
Jesus Christ was preparing Himself for a life of ministry. He had just been baptized. He had just heard God’s voice, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased” (3:22). He must have been riding high. But in a matter of moments, He came face-to- face with a brutal barrage of temptations, a veritable buffet of things to get Him off track. And what did He do? He repeated things He had learned from the Scriptures. And He spoke what He knew for sure, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only” (4:8).
The next time you get derailed—it may be a few minutes from right now—take confidence in the good stuff you put into your soul each day from your Bible. God’s holy presence is yours. Reviewing His truth will be a good thing to do. He will calm you down. I promise.