Psalm 55:7-8

I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;
I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.

Many have been the times I chose the desert over the cover of the Lord and closeness of those He placed in my life to uplift and encourage and love me. Why is it that we often choose to run into the desert, into what is truly the unknown, rather than into the safety of His arms? Of course fear is one factor. As broken humans we have fears, both understood and mysterious, that take hold of our thoughts and grow into a giant roadblock that we cannot seem to get around, so we turn back and run to what we think is the safety of the desert, the safety of isolating from others, from pain and fear.

In reality we are simply setting ourselves up for more pain and suffering because while we sit in our desert the roadblock we were afraid to go around, or over, or through, becomes ever-increasing in size as we imagine even worse things that are added to that blockade. Had we turned to God and to those He provided for us to help us get around that blockade, we would have seen the truth of what it was and gained more strength for the next one that will come our way. The more we face the fears of life and turn to God and to our brothers and sisters for help, the more strength we gain along this journey we are on.

While the fears and roadblocks will never disappear, we gain strength and wisdom and understanding as we face each one and learn how the Lord wants us to deal with it and move on in the direction He has set before us.

Father I pray for the strength only You can provide to help me face my fears and stay out of the desert of isolation and pain.