Recently, I spoke at Highland Park Presbyterian Church on how to live through a desert season of life without the desert living inside of you.
Why this subject now? Because lots of folks are stuck in deserts.
- Physical or emotional pain
- Purposelessness
- Anxiety
- Fear
A famous king from the 10th century has advice for all of that.
He was a literary, musical, military, and organizational genius.
The king who united Israel into the reputation it has today as a worldwide leading fighting force is David.
But first, he had to survive a long desert season of life.
Desert seasons often magnify our fear.
And David’s advice for thriving without succumbing to desert terrain is golden.
1. Alliances in the desert
Catastrophic moments can thrust us into deserts.
For David, it was a simple moment of playing some music.
Saul, king of Israel, threw a javelin and barely missed David while enjoying his music.
Though stunned by Saul, David didn’t retaliate.
“I’ve got to leave. I cannot fight the king. I’ll survive, but I will not kill Saul.”
And he left for the desert, where he was surrounded by mercenaries and misfits.
“David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. All those who were in distress, or in debt, or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander.”
— 1 Sam 22:1-2
2. Allies in the desert
David seeks out and meets with the King of the army he just defeated after killing Goliath.
Achish agrees to see him, and David asks for supplies in exchange for protecting Achish from his enemies in the south. That leads to Achish teaching David how to smelt iron, a key skill because Israel didn’t have the expertise to do so. David used that skill to make better weapons, consolidating all the tribes of Israel into one kingdom with Jerusalem as its capital. This all happened in 1000 B.C.
Is there a new alliance waiting on your initiative that will lead to your survival or success?
3. Wisdom in the desert
Throughout the psalms, David attributes desert survival to creative thinking.
“…I meditate in my heart, and my spirit made diligent search.”
— Ps. 77:6
He attributes success not to luck, but to trained thinking.
“Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.”
— Ps. 119:98
God was advising David through His “statutes.”
“I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.”
— Ps. 119:99
This is striking.
Insight increases through sustained meditation.
But a desert season of life will either deepen your faith or drain it.
4. Life-changing truth in the desert
At age 71, I still cling to six brief passages from six psalms David wrote in the desert.
In each, David presents God’s presence in a moment-by-moment, life-changing fashion.
Ps. 16:8
- “I have set the Lord always before me…because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
- Trusting God in every moment creates unshakable stability.
Ps. 19:1
- “The heavens declare the glory of God, day after day they speak…”
- God speaks constantly, if you’re paying attention.
Ps. 23:1
- “The Lord…is my shepherd.”
- Begin with God, and not the problem, and everything else falls into place.
Ps. 32:7
- “You are my hiding place…You surround me with deliverance.”
- God is your hiding place and your defense.
Ps. 40:1
- “I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry.”
- You’re not alone. God hears you.
Ps. 63:8
- “My soul clings to you; Your right hand upholds me.”
- Cling to God. He holds you up.
5. Faith keeps the desert out
If we have faith in adversity like David in the desert, the desert will never get inside of us.
And we will be able to exclaim with David those final words of that magnificent 23rd Psalm…
“Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will come through the desert.”
Stories like this are part of the reflections I write about life, resilience, and purpose explored on my About Stephen Blaising page.