Adversity has way of revealing our true character. The condition of our hearts is often revealed when we go through crises. Our normal response is to avoid adversity, but we must realize that the roots grow deep when the winds are strong.

We catch a glimpse of David’s heart as he was on the run in the wilderness. It is significant to note that he was not requesting food, water, comfort, or protection from his enemies. David’s primary desire was God’s presence. He realized that it is in the desert of Sinai that you find the mountain of God. What is your response when you feel like you’re in the wilderness?

When people lack a true sense of meaning or purpose in their lives, they have a tendency to escape through harmful behaviors and practices. People may seek to find meaning or purpose in their lives through performance, possessions, popularity, or pleasure. David however, kept his focus upon God,

O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1)

The Hebrew word “earnestly” means to break forth as the dawn and conveys the idea to rise early for a task with the implication of earnestness. It’s been said that the situation is desperate but the saints are not. We are so self-sufficient that we think we have everything we need. One of the major problems with affluence is that we don’t think we need God.

We seek to satisfy our thirst from the vain pursuits of the world and then we wonder why we still feel thirsty. Jesus told the woman at the well that He was the source that could truly satisfy one’s thirst,

Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

Where do you go when you’re feeling dry and in the wilderness? Don’t settle for that which does not satisfy. Don’t settle for the shadow of God when you can have the reality.

RickAssociate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

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