The Desert

Have you ever been to the desert? The vast, dry and wide wilderness?

There is a type of thirst that you can only experience in the desert. When you are detached from the city life, when you are far away from the gas stations and the city water, where the earth and the sky seem to go on forever and you have no idea where the next water source might be. There is a desperation thirst that is different when you are thirsty but you know that the water fountain is around the corner. The wilderness reveals your very dependence upon water and your thirst is magnified.

Consider what the David said about his thirst for God in Psalm 63:1, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

David was a man that was accustomed to the desert. He had raised sheep in the desert, he had delivered food in the desert, he defeated Goliath in the desert and he hid from Saul in the desert. He knew the thirst that the desert brings. It is desert thirst that he describes his desire for God is like.

I’ve been to the desert wilderness that David was in, the Negev. In southern Israel, we went for a hike up Masada, the desert fortress of Herod the Great. Some great history there, but that is another post. The day I went happened to be one of only two days that they do not run the tram to the top. We arrived at 6AM to climb the “snake” path, a winding path up the side of the mountain. We had to leave early before the heat of the day arrived. In early spring it was a chilly 50 something degrees in the morning, requiring a light jacket. As we climbed, so did the sun and the desert heat with it. By mid morning it was already in the 90’s and super dry. We had only made it half way up the climb and I was parched. My throat was dry, my lips felt like they were cracking and I was out of breath. Even as I sipped my water bottle, which was warm, I felt like I couldn’t get enough water.

The climb was tiring but amazing. The sites were great and I will remember them forever. However, the large ice water and berry smoothie at the café after was so delightful. My thirst was from only hours in the desert, but David’s was from days, months and even years of desert living. He knew that the only thing in this life that would satisfy his soul was to drink from the Living Waters of Jesus Christ.

The desert has a way of changing us. When we are aware of the vastness and limited resources we are humbled into realizing how frail life really is. Gone are the overwhelming cravings for the superficial 1^st World wants and our desires turn to the basic needs. Those who have been there and experienced desert thirst can only understand the joy and satisfaction that comes from fresh, cold and crisp water in the desert.

The people of Israel experienced the desert in their wanderings. Moses led them out to the wilderness to hear from God. At first they were in awe of the spectacle of the mountain with a burning bush, but the emptiness and harshness of the wilderness soon took its effect on them. They became desperate for the comforts of Egypt. They lost site on what God was doing and wanted out. However they had 40 years of desert living before they were ready for the promises God had for them. Yet God never forgot them and He supplied all their needs along the way.

Similarly Jesus spent time in the wilderness. After his baptism, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for a 40 day fast. This was the same Negev type wilderness described above. Freezing cold at night and extremely hot during the day. Alone, hungry and exhausted, Jesus was tempted by the enemy of our souls. The desert is a defining place, and Jesus demonstrated our way of surviving the desert. As He depended upon the Spirit, He used Scripture to overcome temptations and defeat the enemy.

As hungry as He was, He refused the temporary relief for eternal satisfaction. His physical and emotional fatigue were overcome with the Word of God. He stood toe to toe with Satan and won through the power of God’s Word.

We too are in a desert. Our souls are desperately thirsty, whether you recognize it or not. You may not feel like your in a desert right now, or you might feel like you have been wandering for a long time. One thing remains true, your soul thirsts for Living Waters. When you begin to realize that Jesus Christ provides the soul satisfaction you are desperate for, you will leave behind the desert and enter in His rest.

Drink deeply of the Word of God and rest in the Spirit. Allow Him to wash you and restore you through His Word. Allow the desert place to define you, to reveal to you that you can be refreshed only by Christ and put off the cravings of the flesh. Do as David did, acknowledge your thirst for God and He will quench your thirst.