Maybe it is because the weather outside is frightening, but I have been longing for the desert. The sun.  The heat.  The rock and sand.  The fierce, barren loveliness of it all.

I close my eyes and I can feel the hot wind of The Wilderness of Judea.  I can see the brutal glare of the sun glinting off of the face of Masada.  I can feel the sweat trickle down my back as I hike into the holy quiet of The Wilderness of Zin.  Heat radiates off ancient stones on the path to En Gedi as I run my hand along the rocks where David hid and gaze into the brilliance of the Salt Sea in the distance.

The desert calls to me, but what can I do?  It is December in Tennessee and I don’t exactly have the means to hop an airplane to Israel, or even Arizona for that matter.  I tried out Bikram Hot Yoga on Saturday to see if that would help.  Dont’ ask me about it.  I don’t have anything nice to say.

What was I thinking?

There was heat alright.  Heart pounding, head shattering heat.  I left exhausted instead of refreshed.  Depleted, instead of  renewed.  Angry instead of peaceful.  There was heat and struggle, but there was something missing.

I close my eyes and I am back on the path to En Gedi.  The sun beats down as I adjust my hat and take a drink from the water bottle I carry everywhere I go.  A few more steps and I hear the faint sound of water trickling against the rock.  The sound grows stronger as I  climb the path.  Soon I see a small stream.  Further ahead it widens and quickens. In the distance I hear the steady roar of water as the world begins to turn green around me.  Then, around the bend everything is transformed as water crashes from the top of a high cliff into a deep pool in front of me.

And that is why I love the desert.  The sun.  The heat.  The rock and sand.  The fierce, barren loveliness of it all.  It is because I am reminded that no matter how deep my wilderness, there is hope.  No matter how dry and weary the land, an oasis awaits me. (Psalm 63:1) No matter how desperate and broken I become, I can safely sing in the shadow of God’s wings. (Psalm 63:7)

“Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.  I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.  My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.  On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.  Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.”  (Psalm 63:3-7)

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