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Why the wild?
Something significant happens to a person as they wander in the wilderness. In the wild, in that place where all the comforts and conveniences are stripped away, in that place where the necessities of life are scarce, a person starts to focus on the things that are absolutely essential.
Water! Food! There's not much else on the mind of the weary wilderness wanderer. Why? Because they're put in a place where the essentials aren't taken for granted anymore. The essentials have become essential.
That's what a physical wilderness does to a physical appetite; yes, it puts priorities in their proper place.
Now, the same principle applies to our spiritual life, as well. Every person who has walked with the Lord for any amount of time knows that there's such a thing as a spiritual wilderness. It's a place where the springs of joy seem to dry up. The heat is intense, and it seems God is allowing you to go through something different and difficult.
It's in this spiritual wilderness, in this place where so much is stripped away, that our appetite for God changes. When we're surrounded by pleasures, our passion for God can get crowded out. We tend to focus on other things that aren't really essential. But in the wilderness, that essential connection to God becomes essential once again.
David declared that the wilderness, the spiritual wilderness, had the effect of making him hunger and thirst for God all the more. And should we find ourselves in that same spiritual wilderness, we need to recognize that it's something God uses to refine our focus and draw us closer to His heart.
Dear Lord, as You use the wilderness in our lives, help us to embrace it instead of rejecting it.
A person wandering in the wilderness, where all the comforts and conveniences are stripped away, starts to focus on the things that are absolutely essential.
Think about it...
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
Something significant happens to a person as they wander in the wilderness. In the wild, in that place where all the comforts and conveniences are stripped away, in that place where the necessities of life are scarce, a person starts to focus on the things that are absolutely essential.
Water! Food! There's not much else on the mind of the weary wilderness wanderer. Why? Because they're put in a place where the essentials aren't taken for granted anymore. The essentials have become essential.
That's what a physical wilderness does to a physical appetite; yes, it puts priorities in their proper place.
Now, the same principle applies to our spiritual life, as well. Every person who has walked with the Lord for any amount of time knows that there's such a thing as a spiritual wilderness. It's a place where the springs of joy seem to dry up. The heat is intense, and it seems God is allowing you to go through something different and difficult.
It's in this spiritual wilderness, in this place where so much is stripped away, that our appetite for God changes. When we're surrounded by pleasures, our passion for God can get crowded out. We tend to focus on other things that aren't really essential. But in the wilderness, that essential connection to God becomes essential once again.
David declared that the wilderness, the spiritual wilderness, had the effect of making him hunger and thirst for God all the more. And should we find ourselves in that same spiritual wilderness, we need to recognize that it's something God uses to refine our focus and draw us closer to His heart.
Dear Lord, as You use the wilderness in our lives, help us to embrace it instead of rejecting it.
A person wandering in the wilderness, where all the comforts and conveniences are stripped away, starts to focus on the things that are absolutely essential.
Think about it...
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
Scripture
About this Plan
Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, founded in 1985, has grown to be one of the largest churches in the country, and now has nine regional campuses in Florida in addition to the main campus in Fort Lauderdale. The church has established and now operates dozens of ministries to answer the needs for foster care, addiction recovery, and discipleship training. The church's mission is simply, "make disciples."
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We would like to thank Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale for providing this daily devotional. For more information about the church and other media resources it provides for personal discipleship, please visit www.calvaryftl.org
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