The Gift of the WildernessSample

Verses 9-11: Trusting God for the Victory

“But those who seek my life, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him shall glory; but the mouths of those who speak lies shall be stopped.” Psalm 63:9-11 NKJV.

In the last couple of days of our devotional, we have found David in the posture of true adoration. David has departed the flat, arid wilderness and his spirit has ascended up the holy mountain of worship and praise. 

It is like what Isaiah declared, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord…that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his path.” (Isaiah 2:3). It is here that David has lavished the Lord in reverence under the protective wing and refuge of his Heavenly Father.

As David earnestly sought for God, his enemies were still eagerly seeking him. And so, David cannot stay on the mountain. He must return to the wilderness and back to the reality of the situation that he is facing. 

Like Moses, David was most certainly transformed by the glorious presence of the Lord. That divine encounter with God, through sincere worship, has brought David to a place of complete trust and faith that God will help defeat the enemy, bring justice, and restore all that the devil was trying to take from him. 

Satan is a liar, a seeker, a prowler, and a destroyer. Some may criticize David for wanting his son and his enemies to be destroyed and left for the jackals to devour. But these enemies were acting as an arm of the devil who sought to destroy not only David, but the future of Israel.

We face the same enemy and he can come in any manner or form. As our longing for God’s presence must remain quenched, so must our faith that God will execute defeat over that which has brought us to the wilderness. 

We know from 2 Samuel 18, that God was faithful to deliver the enemy into David’s hands and they were defeated. His son, Absalom, who was enticed by the same juices of pride and greed that dripped down the chins of Adam and Eve was also destroyed; bringing David great sorrow.

The long expedition from the palace to the wilderness and back to the palace was over. What David has shown us is that we must glory in the journey as well as in the destination. On every wilderness road, God wants us to find dependence in him and him alone. 

There are 5 things we can learn as we model David’s response in the dry place:

1. We must know God personally

2. We must seek God earnestly 

3. We must reflect on God continuously 

4. We must worship God submissively

5. We must trust God completely

Success is not found in escaping the wilderness. Success is found when we become like Christ in the wilderness. David persevered through the desert season and we can do the same. Know that no matter what you are going through, the dry place can be a gift. 

As your faith grows in the wilderness, I pray that you will commit yourselves to the same pursuits as David, and through it all you will be able to say with confidence, “It is well with my soul.”

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