“O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.” Psalms 63:1 NKJV
All he could hear for miles were their feet hitting the sand and the wind’s gentle breeze. He could smell the sweat on every person accompanying him as the heat was pressing in on every side. There were many moments to think and meditate during their stay. As he reflected, words drifted out from his innermost being, Psalm 63.
Many biblical commentators say that David wrote Psalm 63 during the record of I Samuel 24. If that is accurate, then his temporary breakthrough was just around the corner with Saul. David’s time in the wilderness drew him closer to his Savior. He was mesmerized in knowing God. There was nothing else that would or could fill the gap and longing he had for Him.
Verse one describes David’s heart as seeking God (the attempt to find or to have and achieve) early in the day, as well as seeking God with an earnest heart (with intense search, and seriousness).
David knew what the wilderness was like because he spent many days and nights there. In those moments, He heard God quite frequently. Being in a spiritual, mental or physical wilderness can usually lead us to a desperate heart. We have reached a place where surviving is key to getting out and in the getting out, we learn where to plant our feet, where to find rest and where to gain nourishment. You see in the wilderness, we have a longing to get out and the only way is through the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of us. Our stay time, however, depends on what we do with that power.
Many times being in the wilderness can change us. It takes longer for some to understand. Some of the survivor tools are never picked up, let alone known of their usage. This process of giving up and giving in to the surroundings will kill thousands instead of shaping many.
David knew that his surroundings were dry (bare and lacking adornment). I love doing word searches, I know it sounds weird, but when I spend time researching a word or two, beautiful conversations with God happen and my meditation is sweeter with Him. The word “dry” can also be used when in a theatrical setting, a slang word meaning “forgetting ones lines in a play or musical.” On a spiritual sense it really applies to us as believers. Being “dry” spiritually is noticed among other believers. There is a sense that the “dry” believer isn’t familiar with scripture or its context. Maybe their boundary lines are not as they should be in relationships. We can sense thought patterns that don’t align to God’s Word or a healthy spiritual perspective by the words they choose to say, or actions they choose to pursue in many situations.
Have we become dry? Have we forgotten the true love of our life? Have we blended in with our surroundings? Is there anyone who hasn’t been through this? No, we all have, and at times it seems I’m on a continual pendulum.
As we continue to look further in verse one, David saw the wilderness as weary (tired, bored and sick of something that never ends). When we are in love with Jesus, we never get “sick or tired” of Him, we want more of Him! Anything contrary to God will leave us lacking, and like David, we’ll begin to see that this sickness is present in others around us who are trying to avoid the same thing.
Since a recent surgery I have had many sleepless nights. I contribute that to pain meds but also because I believe God is wanting me to sit down and write. On one of these recent nights, I heard the Lord ask me, “Are you prepared to die?” My response was, “What!?!“ Being a somewhat serious person who also struggles with panic attacks, I almost had one. I was asking God over and over, do you mean physically? But it was a gentle reminder, “No spiritually.” I began to think through my decisions and my heart posture to realize exactly what God was referring to. I immediately prayed that I would never make a decision, ever, in my life, that would devastate those around me or hinder the power and anointing in my life through ministry, but to die fleshly, over and over again. Dying to self is the hardest because you are at God’s mercy in it. As I’m typing this, I’m realizing that dying to self also shows how much I believe in God’s Sovereignty, God’s nature to love me and God’s power to act on my behalf. So easy to say, “yes God, I’m ready to die”.......but am I?
Ask yourself the tough questions. See where you are spiritually today and yearn for God only, not the comfort of the wilderness. This is hard to do, believe me. I have been asking myself these questions quite frequently lately. For the life of me I don’t remember where I was, but I remember someone telling me that if I wanted out of the wilderness, I needed to make the decision to leave....
From a grateful guest,
A Traveler Just Passing Through.....
Amy
Song called, Nothing Else” by Cody Carnes
https://youtu.be/4BhTAJ49MQ0