Finding Water in the Desert

As Christians, we are called to live a life that is filled with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord no matter what we may be facing in the world around us. Hebrews 13:15 says it well: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name” (NIV). King David had learned to do this for in Psalm 34:1 he says: “I will praise the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips” (HCSB). Even while living out in a desert as described in 1 Samuel 26, David stayed in joy and knew the presence of the Holy Spirit.

A desert is not one of the nicest places in which to live, for it conjures up images of a dry, barren and desolate wasteland or wilderness that is unfit for human habitation. It is interesting that King Saul did not venture very far from the safety of the road, “but David stayed in the desert” (1 Sam. 26:3, NIV). From this verse, it is clear that David had learned how to trust the Lord – even while living in the desert, for Psalm 54:4 says, “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me” (NIV). In other words, David had found water!

Consider the following two points:

1. Giving praise and thanksgiving to God helps lift us above our circumstances.

While David was living out in the Desert of Ziph, he penned the words of Psalm 54, addressing it to “the director of music.” Known as “the hill country of Judah,”the Desert of Ziph was a place where David could stand looking over his surroundings with his hands outstretched in praise to God. Despite the dry and barren landscape, David stood to say: “I will praise your name, O Lord, for it is good. For he has delivered me from all my troubles, and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes” (Ps. 54:6, 7, NIV).

The joy we experience in praise is to become “detached from the external pressures of life” (Bryn Jones) in order to clearly see things from God’s perspective. In praise, the power of self and its problems loses its grip and we become conscious of God and His glorious plan. An “Awareness of God presence quiets…inner turmoil” and enables us to experience peace and joy. In fact, C.S. Lewis has written that “The real test of being in the presence of God is that you…forget about yourself altogether.” Simply stated: Becoming God-conscious paves the way to inner freedom!

This is why we must understand that there is a clear connection between lifting one’s voice and hands in praise and staying filled with the Holy Spirit. It follows that to be filled with the Spirit means being empty of self.

2. Staying filled with the Holy Spirit is critical for our survival in this world.

1 Samuel 26:3 tells us that unlike King Saul, David and his men “stayed in the desert,” probably because they had found water. The Bible tells us that David was a man after God’s own heart (see Acts 13:22), which leads me to believe that he must have been a man of the Spirit as well. Sustained by the “water of the Spirit,” David could survive anything!

Recently, I have found myself gripped by the simple phrase, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27, NIV). There is a special treasure in this simple phrase that only comes to us by way of revelation. It is simple, but deeply profound! The only way the truth of these words becomes possible is by remaining filled with the Holy Spirit – the very Spirit of Jesus Christ. It is the Holy Spirit who will quicken (or help develop) all that Jesus Christ wants to be in each one of us. He quickens faith, courage, peace, power, love – all the fruits of the Holy Spirit and more.