The following verses were written by King David and are found in Psalm 63.

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

Recently when I was reading this Psalm, not only was I touched by the words, I was struck by the caption found beneath the heading of the Psalm, which says: A Psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. The desert is a place of fatigue & despair; of worry & hopelessness; of anger & doubt. Does this place sound familiar to you?

Before we touch on what David wrote, let’s first remember that he wasn’t the first Israelite to be in a desert. After the whole nation of Israel came out of Egypt with the promises of God fresh on their minds, joy on their lips & expectations in their hearts, they entered a desert. They weren’t there by accident; God led them into it. God intended for this to be a sacred time between Him & His people. They were to learn that He was their only supply. They were to hear His voice & learn His ways. They were to see Him as the One & true God. In the place of greatest need, they were to see the greatest miracles. But instead of embracing these sacred moments between them & God, they chose to grumble, complain, doubt, disdain & rebel.

King David new his history. When he found himself in the Desert of Judah, I would imagine that he remembered the responses of those who went before him. He had a decision to make. Would he follow in the footsteps of his ancestors and allow anger, frustration, doubt & fatigue to control his response? Or would he find a way to rise above those natural reactions?

We all go through the desert at certain times in our lives. Many of us are going through one right now. We’re frustrated & angry at present situations. We feel like God is far away and isn’t answering our prayers. We’re looking for a little something to make us feel better so we can make it through the day. We’re uncertain about tomorrow. We’re wondering if God has abandoned us. We’re consumed with doubt & self-pity. We’re asking, “God, why am I here? When is this going to end? When will I see relief? Am I ever going to get out of here?” The desert is a tough place filled with emotions & questions.

King David did find a way to rise above those natural reactions. David chose to worship. Usually we prefer to reserve our worship until God has brought us out of our tough situations. But while David was still in the desert, while he was still in a place where he even lacked the basic necessity of water, he poured his heart out to God in gratitude & praise.  David didn’t ask God to deliver him. He chose to take his eyes off of his present circumstances and set them on the only Person who is unchanging. No wonder God calls him “a man after my own heart.” (Acts 13:22)

When you find yourself in a desert, remember that God leads His kids into this place quite often. He wants to teach us that He is our only supply. Everything & everybody else will fail us, so God wants to teach us to rely on Him alone.

When you find yourself in a desert, remember that Mountain Dew may taste really good going down, but the Living Water is the only thing that will truly satisfy your thirst.

When you find yourself in a desert…worship.

Please feel free to leave a comment below to start some conversations