Spirit and wilderness

“John grew up and became strong in spirit. Then he lived out in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.” (Luke 1: 80)
Growing in the Spirit
Why did John chose the wilderness as the place of his spiritual formation? The wilderness is the star university of the Holy Spirit. John followed the footsteps of the prophets who used the isolation of the uninhabited wilderness to listen to God and find their prophetic voice. The wilderness apart from being a place of isolation is also a place of tests and spiritual warfare. We recall the forty days of Jesus in the wilderness when He was tested by Satan. The wilderness separated John from the economic and political powers of the day. His message to them was pointed and sharp as a result. He also remained separate from the hypocritical religious leaders of his day.