Desert, Sanctuary and the Dark Night of the Soul

David was in the desert. He'd been anointed as king by Samuel, but the current king, Saul, was trying to kill him. David and his rag-tag bunch of soldiers were scrambling across the desert, barely keeping ahead of Saul and his lynching posse.

I can only imagine that David was struggling with the disconnect between the promise of the future and the reality of his present. His prayer reflects the desperation of his circumstances - I call it his hunger and famine. Look at the verbs that describe his hunger: "Earnestly I seek You", "My soul thirsts for you", "My body longs for you..." Then he describes his famine: "A dry and weary land where there is no water". (The phrase "where there is no water" is technically superfluous, but communicates the desolation he feels so clearly.)

But David has a moment that he clings to: A memory of worship in the sanctuary (probably the tabernacle at Shiloh) where he experienced the presence of God in a profound way. This moment is lodged in his soul and fills him with love for God in a way that sustains him in the desert.

This takes David to the dark night of the soul. His bed was probably a camping mattress in the desert, and he was probably wakeful and nervous about a surprise attack from his enemies... but his hunger and his memory of God's presence and love gives him the courage to "sing in the shadow of God's wings".

Are you struggling with the disconnect between your hopes and dreams and the challenges of your current circumstances? Read this Psalm and connect to the One who is David's Hunger, his Confidence and his Comfort.