TADB 114: Discovering God in the Desert

I don’t think of a desert without remembering the old, yet popular, Western song “Cool Water.”  I must not be alone since it is #3 of the Top 100 Western songs ever.  It is about a thirsty man and his mule traveling a wasteland, tormented by mirages.

All day I’ve faced a barren waste, Without the taste of water, cool water, Old Dan and I, with throats burned dry And souls that cry for water.

I imagine a dirty, bearded, weary prospector and his mule drudging along in the blistering heat of a barren, dry landscape, squinting into the sun, hoping that what has always been a mirage in the past will finally turn out to be water.

The wasteland of the desert is hot, dry, barren, and silent.  The most critical need when traveling in a desert is water.  Lack of water results in “throats burned dry, and souls that cry for water.”  In that condition, it is hard to swallow, lips become cracked, and it is hard to think about anything else but water.  Thirst is a gift that drives us to search for “cool, clear water.”

Spiritual thirst is also a gift because it drives us to pursue the essential ingredient for soul life:  Living Water.  In the spiritual desert, our souls can feel dry and passive; there is little or no joy or fire in our souls.  Our prayers may seem like words bouncing off the ceiling.  We have no hunger for the Word; Scripture seems like just words on a page.  Worship services that used to be inspiring are now boring.   The Christian life feels dull.  God seems silent, distant, or absent and our hearts long for God’s presence, but we do not see him. 

Many spiritual pilgrims testify to “dry” times when their souls cried for water.  Their desert may have existed even during spiritual activities and busy ministry.   People may have surrounded them and yet they felt isolated. 

When God takes us to the desert, it is an opportunity to identify what we are thirsty for.  Perhaps we have been living on spiritual fruit punch and sodas instead of the “cool water” that truly satisfies us.  Maybe we are in danger of unintentional dehydration, and God wants to renew our thirst mechanism that has become faulty. 

God rebuked the children of Israel for substituting their own, inadequate cisterns for springs of living water.   “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water” (Jeremiah 2:13).

Spiritual thirst moves us to seek the Water of Life, found only by a faith encounter with Christ and the gospel.  Water in Scripture can refer to the Word, salvation, the Holy Spirit, or God himself.   In general, spiritual thirst is the recognition of feeling distant regarding our relationship with God.  David expressed it this way.  “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.  I thirst for God, the living God” (Psalm 42:1).

Spiritual thirst leads us to faith in Christ (remember the John 4 account of the woman at the well) and also leads us deeper in our journey of discipleship.  A desert experience may be required to renew a spiritual thirst for God and help us put all other pursuits into perspective. 

David wrote his version of “Cool Water” in Psalm 63, “O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you.  My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.” Reading through this Psalm of David’s spiritual desert, we discover a pattern of how to respond when in our desert. 

• He remembers the past and how God showed up in power and glory.
• He anticipates the future when he will again praise God in joy.
• In the meantime, he focuses on the God who is his helper, shade, and strong right hand.

Instead of resenting the desert or rushing to get out of it, we should consider it a gift:  an opportunity to experience God in ways only the desert can provide.

The desert can:

1.   Heighten our desire for God alone.

2.   Revive our thirst for the clear water of the Word.

3.   Clear the clutter and simplify our lives.

4.   Purify our souls.

The following is a list of ideas I and others have found helpful in a desert landscape.

1.  Be authentic about the condition of your soul. 

• Are you physically tired or weary?  Have you just come off an emotional high or a major victory?  Do you need to rest and eat?  (Think of Elijah in 1 Kings 19).
• Are there “sins” or “weights” draining your soul?  (Hebrews 12:1-2)
• Are you drinking from sources other than the spring of Living Water?

2.  Consider the desert a time to wait on the Lord (Isaiah 40:29-31).

Waiting is not a posture of apathy or inactivity. Instead, it is a “leaning into” God and his promises, remembering that while we are waiting, God is working (Isaiah 64:4 NLT).

3.  Take the time to remember and review.

•  Remember the names of God and how he has shown up in the past.  “God is my …….” 

•  Review your identity in Christ.  “In Christ I am……”

4.   Hang around life-giving people.   Spend time with deeply spiritual people who will not condemn or expect you to snap out of it but allow you to walk in their wake without expectations.

5.  Do not hurry the process.  Allow the discomfort to draw you to God alone.  Look for his fingerprint in your desert.

6.  Enjoy places where God can touch your emotions.  Take walks in your favorite park.  Listen to music that helps you focus on the unseen reality.

7.  Spend time in the Word, even if it feels emotionally flat.  God’s Spirit lives in His Word, and his Spirit is where the living water comes from (John 7).  Listen for God’s quiet voice without expecting an earthquake, fire, or storm.  Think of Elijah in 1 Kings 19.  Take the advice of Eli to Samuel and say, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” 

The shadows sway and seem to say, “Tonight, we pray for water, cool water.” And way up there, He’ll hear our prayer, And show us where there’s water-cool, clear water.

For Reflection

1.  Can you describe a time when you were especially thirsty for God?

2.  What would you suggest to prevent spiritual dehydration?