John the Baptist is absent from the Bible between his circumcision-naming ceremony and the beginning of his public ministry.  This verse is the only clue to his upbringing and preparation for serving the Lord.  Of course, we know that his parents were very old before his birth.  Presumably, they died when he was a child or early teenager.  We do not know who may have looked after him; all we are told is that he lived a solitary life in the desert.  We also know that he was filled with the Holy Spirit before he was born (Luke 1:15) and became 'strong in spirit', as did the Lord Jesus (Luke 2:40).  God himself was nurturing and protecting John, with or without the help of others.

As the son of a priest, John's primary spiritual education came from God's Word: taught either by his father or another priest.  But John knew its meaning because the Holy Spirit interpreted God's message to his heart.  He would have heard the stories of his remarkable birth, and the Spirit would have confirmed his special responsibility to be the forerunner of Christ as he read Isaiah 40:3-5.  

What is the significance of the time John spent in the desert?  It was a time of preparation and testing, of training and equipping.  It was the same when God led His people for 40 years through the desert to humble them and prove them, to see if they really wanted to go His way (Deuteronomy 8:2-3).  David was forced to spend time in the desert before his reign (1 Samuel 23:14), and where he wrote Psalm 63:1-11.  Jesus was sent out by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to start the battle with Satan (Matthew 4:1), and during His ministry spent time away from the crowds in prayer.  The Apostle Paul was taught by the Holy Spirit, in the desert of Arabia, how the Old Testament was pointing to Jesus (Galatians 1:15-17).  It takes time to shape our minds with truth and mould our hearts to desire to do it.  All servants of God need to be equipped by Him if they are to serve Him (Ephesians 4:11-13).

Today, there is a tendency to rush everything, to cram education into a little time, and to pass examinations with speed.  But God is never in a hurry.  He uses time to mould our hearts into His shape.  It takes time to meditate - by that I do not mean the emptying of our minds, but allowing God to order our minds with His truth.  Biblical meditation honours God by taking His Word seriously by welcoming His Holy Spirit to explain His thoughts (rather than us imposing our ideas!).  Biblical meditation is not just for special people; every follower of Jesus should set time aside each day, week and year to wait on the Lord (Isaiah 40:31).  Jesus commended Mary of Bethany for spending time listening to Him (Luke 10:38-41).  Some say they are too busy; but that is not a time constraint, it is really arrogance in putting God's priorities lower than our own.  No wonder some believers do not know what God wants of them, if they have not taken the trouble to read and pray.