Wilderness

Written by Ps Zheng Haoren

“…my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1b

Psalm 63 is linked to King David’s days as a refugee. It could refer to his fleeing from King Saul (1 Samuel 23:14-15) or from his son Absalom (2 Samuel 15:23, 28). Regardless, it was in the wilderness that King David missed God the most and desired deeply to be in His presence.

To many of us, the Covid-19 pandemic is like a long wandering in the wilderness.  It began with some degree of fear and trepidation.  When the national lockdown came, novelty gave way to grave concerns. Daily life and economic activities slowed down significantly. The church immediately stepped up on the pastoral care of its members.

The following months were a roller coaster ride. There was no silver lining in the horizon. By the end of 2020, the boundaries of this wilderness remained elusive, out of sight.

The global rollout of vaccines against the Covid-19 virus in early 2021 brought cheer to many and reservation to others. Social and economic activities began to pick up, only to regress due to the insurgence of Delta variant infections.

The cost to the spiritual well-being of churchgoers arising from this recent setback seems to take a different form this time round. More are taking to the convenience of online church services.  And now we have another potential threat from the Omicron variant. We are coming to the end of the second year in the wilderness.  What are your reflections for 2021?

I would like to offer two brief thoughts, both optimistic. Firstly, I see that this wilderness experience strengthens our confidence in God. The social restrictions arising from this pandemic have led many to revisit the meaning of a personal relationship with God and the worship of Him.

When King David cried out desperately in Psalm 63:1a, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirst for you;” he meant that when he sought God, God will be there and He will meet his need at that hour! In other words, King David had complete confidence in God even though he was wandering in the wilderness of Judah, not knowing what the future held. In this pandemic, do our hearts cry out to God like King David did when he became a refugee?

Secondly, I see that this wilderness experience declutters our hearts.  When King David expressed in Psalm 63:3 “Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.” he meant that he wanted God more than he wanted life. He wanted God more than all the joys of this life – in our context it would be food, job-satisfaction, achievements, books, cars, electronic devices, music, sports, travel, etc.

King David saw through the subtle idolatry of the things in life and exemplified for us the yearning for the greater beauty of the Giver rather than the beauty of the gifts. God is pleased with decluttered hearts. Is your heart too cluttered?