Day 7: The Way of the Wilderness

Day #7 From Jerusalem to Masada, En Gedi

The wind blows hot and dry on our road in the wilderness. Does this place feel familiar to you? At some point in our lives, everyone who trusts God ends up in the wilderness.

After he was a shepherd but before he was king, David the fugitive found a place of refuge in this wilderness. For seven years, David, misunderstood, hunted, yet the anointed king, hid from Saul in these caves and desert hills.

Discouragement blew through David’s life like a dusty wind out here. Stripped of everything stable in his life, David felt vulnerable and exposed. From his poetry, we can picture him holed up in the rocks of En Gedi and atop mesas like Masada (called “the stronghold”) looking out over the panorama of the Judean desert. Yet despite how hard shelter was to come by, David found it in an unexpected place. Psalm 18:1-2 gives us a clue to his refuge,

“Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of Saul. He said: I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

David knew it wasn’t Masada’s high perch that gave him safe harbor. Nor was it outwitting and outrunning Saul. David had learned what others missed, that a place or circumstances don’t guarantee safety—safety is found in who you trust.

Perhaps like David, you journey through a personal wilderness today. If you’re not there now, you will be someday. Out on this wilderness road, you learn a lesson you can’t learn anywhere else. On this lonely path, God teaches you that you can do nothing without Him—a reality you recognize quicker here.

So, if you’re walking a wilderness road right now in your ministry or in private areas known only to you or with your wife or family, David teaches you two important steps to take:  Hide yourself in God’s strong tower and wait for Him to rescue you. He’s a fortress for the righteous. “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” (Deut. 27:33)

Read all about it: David at En Gedi: 1 Samuel 23-24, Psalms 18

Today’s Memory Maker:

Float on the Dead Sea today or pack yourself in its mud to enjoy the spa-like benefits.