David
became an instant hero and close friend of Jonathan, king Saul’s son, and also
an instant target for Saul’s spear-throwing jealousy! Saul personally tried to
kill David three times (1 Samuel 18:11, 19:10). For the next ten years, David
was on the run and hiding in the caves of the wilderness of Judea. During those
years in the wilderness, David wrote many of the psalms that help us today to
worship the Father in spirit and truth.
The
message of the “wilderness psalms” is that God is an oasis in the desert of
difficult times. He is a safe place. Like David, you too will be pursued by an
enemy seeking to kill, steal, and destroy simply because you are becoming a
true worshiper of the Father in spirit and truth. David wrote in Psalm 61:2 –
3, “Lead
me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong
tower against the enemy.” God will lead you to the higher ground of
worshiping Him in spirit and truth, according to His word.
The
world, the flesh, and the devil are the enemies of true worship because true
worship is characterized by the abandonment of self-worship. This is why David
prayed, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I…” Until you ask God
to lead you to the higher rock, you will stay stuck in the mud of self-worship.
The higher ground of true worship lifts you above the lies of self-worth,
self-love, and self-seeking. True worship sees from the word the surpassing
worth of the Father and His desire for you to know Him and His love for you in
Christ.
In the
wilderness psalms you learn from David how to seek the Lord with all your heart
in the midst of harsh and threatening circumstances. In seeking Him, you
worship Him, for in seeking Him you abandon self for Someone greater! This overcomes
the world, is harmful to the flesh, defeats the enemy, and pleases the Father!
Today,
memorize and pray this prayer, “Father, lead me to the Rock that is higher
than I, for You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy!”
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