O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. —Psalm 63:1-3 

The opening verses of this psalm are replete with wisdom regarding locating streams in the desert. The first tip is in verse one. David recognizes that his physical situation has created his spiritual dryness, and thus he declares that God is the God of dry places as well as of palaces. He shares a nugget of wisdom when he says, “Early will I seek you.” Maybe this dry time came out of nowhere, but meanwhile, what do you do? 

Perhaps your dryness is due to your circumstances. Maybe it was a personal loss or an extended trial. It might be an unfair situation that doesn’t make any sense. But whether the cause is known or not, our marching orders are reflected by “Early will I seek You!” Seek God! He hasn’t forsaken you. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. . . . Call upon Me, and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jer 29:10-13). 

David knew that he was in a place of physical dryness and thirst, which also contributes to the cause of spiritual dryness and thirst, so he began to look for God first in the sanctuary. He longs to see God’s power and glory. Too often, we tend to look for the exit from our situation, not for the streams that run through it. “Sanctuary” means a sacred place or thing, something consecrated, dedicated, hallowed, holy. David was looking for a way to make this dry place a sacred place. Can we do the same? 

Consider Jacob’s experience. On the run from his brother, Esau, having been sent by his father to find a bride among his own people, he falls asleep in the desert and dreams of a ladder with angels going up and down on it. In the dream, the Lord promises that He will be with him, and there, with a rock for a pillow, he arises in the morning saying, “God is with me in this place” (Gen 28:16-19). Are you in a “desert” right now? God’s perfect will for your life may include wilderness experiences in dry and thirsty lands! He allows and even causes these times in our lives to create trust and endurance and to show us that He alone is our sanctuary. The heart of God and His desire for us is this: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.“

Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. -Matthew 6:33-34

Whether you know the cause of your dry season or not, you must search for those streams in the desert and not merely for the way of escape. Divine refreshing doesn’t require a change in circumstances. Through David, God says, “Seek me early and look for Me, for I am the stream in the desert of life that will refresh you until things change.” Are you able to see Him in this way, not only as your Deliverer but also as your Provider and Sustainer even in the midst of your difficult situation? The Lord says through David, “Seek Me early. Look for me. For I am the stream in the desert of life that will refresh you until things do change.” God has not forsaken you. Go to the stream and wait for Him there. 

Excerpt from “Beside Still Waters” now available on Amazon.

BARRY STAGNER