{"id":13296,"date":"2025-05-19T07:52:17","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T11:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?post_type=oyb&#038;p=13296"},"modified":"2025-05-19T09:30:23","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T13:30:23","slug":"in-the-wilderness-of-engedi","status":"publish","type":"oyb","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/oyb\/in-the-wilderness-of-engedi","title":{"rendered":"IN THE WILDERNESS OF ENGEDI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cWhen Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, \u2018Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.\u2019\u201d (1 Samuel 24:1 ESV).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>David\u2019s time in the wilderness of En Gedi was not merely a season of hiding\u2014it was a season of refining. Though he was anointed to be king, he found himself running for his life, dwelling in caves, and surviving on the margins. Yet, this wilderness wasn\u2019t wasted. God used it to shape David into a leader after His own heart. During these difficult days, David wrote psalms that still minister to us today. He learned to lead with humility, depend on God\u2019s provision, and walk in integrity\u2014even when he had the opportunity to take matters into his own hands by killing Saul. David\u2019s restraint in that moment revealed a heart that trusted God\u2019s timing over his own ambition. The caves of En Gedi were not the end of David\u2019s story\u2014they were the training ground for his reign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>God often does His deepest work in our wilderness seasons. Like David, we may find ourselves in dark, uncomfortable, or uncertain places\u2014not because God has forgotten us, but because He is forming us. It\u2019s in those times that character is shaped, trust is tested, and dependence on God becomes real. When we\u2019re tempted to take shortcuts or force outcomes, David\u2019s example reminds us to wait on the Lord and walk with integrity. The trials we face today may be preparing us for the responsibilities God will entrust to us tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PRAYER: Dear Lord, help us to see the wilderness as a place where You are working, not abandoning us. Teach us to lead ourselves and others with integrity, even when it&#8217;s hard. Give us faith to trust Your timing and to depend on Your provision. Like David, may we emerge from the difficulties of life ready for the calling You\u2019ve prepared for us. In Jesus&#8217; name, amen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"2025-05-19 OYB Devotion #bibleinayear #oneyearbible #dailydevotion\" width=\"1170\" height=\"658\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4FrNPhU6-5I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cWhen Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, \u2018Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.\u2019\u201d (1 Samuel 24:1 ESV). David\u2019s time in the wilderness of En Gedi was not merely a season of hiding\u2014it was a season of refining. Though he was anointed to be king, he found himself running for his<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"scripture-book":[1276],"scripture-chapter":[1357],"oyb_day":[1666],"location":[],"class_list":["post-13296","oyb","type-oyb","status-publish","hentry","scripture-book-1-samuel","scripture-chapter-1357","oyb_day-may-19"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb\/13296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oyb"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13296"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-book?post=13296"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-chapter?post=13296"},{"taxonomy":"oyb_day","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb_day?post=13296"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=13296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}