Water In The Wilderness - Pastor J. D. Howell 8-9-2026

Water in the wilderness, water in the wilderness, and after

the seasons of revival that we have just recently experienced.

I have no idea why he would speak to me

about somebody being in a wilderness. But God is a

merciful god. He loves us all, and he wants to

help somebody. Tonight, if you have your Bibles, will you

turn with me to the Book of Psalm May I

direct your attention to the sixty third chapter. We will

be reading verses number one through four, with our golden

text being verse number one. Brother Nathaniel Luke, chapter number

twenty two, verses number thirty one and thirty two, and

Brother Jesse Matthew, Chapter number four and verse number one.

Brother Nathaniel, would you read this, Brother Luke, twenty two,

thirty one and thirty two. And the Lord said Simon, Simon, behold,

Satan hath desired to have you, that he may shift

you as weep. But I have prayed for thee that

thy faith fell not, And when thou art converted, strengthen

thy brethren. Thank God for the prayers Jesus prayed for us,

Brother Jesse Matthew, chapter number four and verse number one.

My brother then was Jesus led up of the spirit

into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil man

ps I'm sixty three one through four. The Bible says,

Oh God, thou art, my God. Early, will I seek

THEE and my soul thirsteth for THEE. My flesh longeth

for THEE in a dry and thirsty land where no

water is to see Thy power and thy glory. So

as I have seen THEE in the sanctuary, because Thy

loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise THEE.

Thus will I bless THEE while I live. I will

lift up my hands in Thy name. Could we pray today,

Heavenly Father, we love and we praise you. We thank

you for the opportunity to be in your house. I

I thank you for these people of God, these saints

of God children are the most high God. I pray

that you would anoint their ears and help them to

hear what the spirit of God says into this church.

Lord, annoint me.

I pray, said a guard at my mouth that helped

me to say the things you would have me to say.

Nothing more less. I pray that these sayings would go

below the shoulders, that they would saturate the spirit and soul,

heart and mind. O God, may we depart this place

joyfully and not sorrowly in Jesus's name. And the church said, hey, man,

look at your neighbor and say, hey, neighbor, I'm not

in the wilderness. Are you in the wilderness? Our text

is found in an Old Testament book of the Holy Bible.

In recent weeks, I've had many of you tell me

that the recent services have been most refreshing to your

spirit men. The presence of the Lord has been felt

so strongly it seemed as though we would fill him

place his hand on our head or shoulders. Truly, the

Lord has sent a refreshing rain and satisfying showers upon

his people. However, there may be one or two who

haven't been walking from rain cloud to rain cloud.

And it's not the Lord's fault, is it.

Let me say, you can't live like the devil during

the week and expect to experience the brush of angels

wings on Sunday. You can't lurk around Monday through Friday

and lunch forward into the Holy Ghost, pull the blessing

on Sunday. You can't shirt from Holy Ghost attitudes and

behaviors during the week and shout the house down on Sunday.

Come on church, child, do you know why you're in

that wilderness? Child of God? Do you know why you

are not in that spiritual wilderness? And child, do you

know why you're in that wilderness? Notice I did not

say child of God. Sometimes the children of God find

themselves in the wilderness. But to those that I'm preaching

to tonight, I don't feel.

Like you're altogether a child of God.

And I feel like, after these seasons of revival, that

you should be a child of God by now, and

you should be aware of the fact that the Lord

is with you no matter your location. David said, if

I make my bed in hell, thou art there Those

that felt like they needed wings as doves to fly

into heavenly places, those who declared that they had been

lifted up in heavenly places in Christ, Jesus could say

that the Lord is everywhere at all times, and they

can say they have found God, and they can say

they know God to be with them through the thick

and the thin, through the wilderness or through the city.

God should be with you.

But you have found yourself in a spiritual drought in

a dry season in that wilderness. And I want you

to know that God did not drive you into that wilderness.

God can drive you into the wilderness. In the Bible,

we read about men of God who were driven into

the wilderness, one of them being the prophet Elijah. And

we read about John the Badness being a voice that

was crying into the wilderness. Prepare ye, the way the

Lord is coming. Behold the Lamb of God is before

you go out. Come here and meet this precious Messiah

that had been long awaited. But brother Philip John knew

the Lord was with him in the wilderness. Elijah was

sustained in the wilderness. There's no doubt they wondered at times,

why am I in this wilderness? Why am I enduring

these hardships? Why am I going through the things that

I'm going through? Why am I facing these things as

a child of God. But they never felt like they

were without hope. They never lost their trust and their

faith in God, and they always maintained their great love

for their Savior. So even though they were in the wilderness,

they felt like they were drinking.

Freely of the water of life.

And there's no doubt concerning the great prophet Elijah, that

God sent ravens down in that haven, and God sustained

the prophet of God in that time of testing. And

I know that there's somebody under the sound of my

voice tonight you're blaming your wilderness.

Experience on God and others.

And I would tell you right now, right off the bat,

that you can drive yourself into the wilderness. You can

put yourself there. Circumstances can definitely deliver you into a

wilderness situation. Just ask, heygar the concubine of the great

Man of God, Abraham, how she suffered after she had

been cast away from the presence of Abraham and Sarah.

But she found that God was there.

And that God's promises were yeay and amen, and that

God had not forsaken her and her child. If you

look at the subtitle underneath this sixty third chapter of

the book of Psalm, you will see that this is

known as a psalm of David when he was in

the wilderness of Judah.

Again, I want to.

Tell you here tonight, you are driving yourself into the wilderness.

You were the one in control of this situation, and

you are the one that have picked your destination how

many other saints of God prays that tonight know a

little bit about this author, David, the Sweet Psalmist of Israel.

That's what I thought.

Most of the believers in this building tonight could write

the autobiography of King David because of your extensive knowledge

about this character and his life. But amongst the people

of God tonight, who knows something about the wilderness of Judah?

That's what I thought?

Not very many, perhaps only two or three know something

about this wilderness of Judah. And I want to tell

you a little bit about it. It is not anything

like the wilderness has found here in North America. It's

nothing like the wildernesses that our frontiersmen and our founding

fathers navigated, or circumvented or comeurd here in North America.

This wilderness of Judah is a desolate place. It is

a place that lacks inhabitants. There is no civilation there.

There is nobody whatsoever hanging out in the wilderness of Judah.

And we find that David is there. David is there

because of de sins of others. According to the Word

of God, I found two times that David found himself

in a desolate wilderness upon both occasions he was forced

to flee for the very preservation of his life. The

first instance I found is when King Saul, driven by

great jealousy, drove David into the wilderness. And after David

had been king for sometime, his old son Absolom became

envious and jealous, and he too forced David to flee

into the wilderness. Now, the Bible said, jealousy is as

cruel as the grave. Do you know that people's jealousy

can drive them into a wilderness? Their jealousy can drive

others into a wilderness experience. If we can stop for

just a moment and look at our golden text here tonight,

you'll see that David was looking for more than just

a drink of water. David was looking for more than

what the man who had just found himself in help

was looking for. The Bible teaches us that when that

man who had recently been introduced to help lifted up

his eyes eyes, immediately he was in torment, and he

was desirous that somebody would dip their finger in the

water and cool that already parched tongue. That man found

himself in a wilderness experience, and there would be no

refreshing shower, and there would be no bottle of water

to be issued to him during his torment. Are you

with me in this place? But you know what that

man that was in hell, in that wilderness, God forsaken

countrist Brother Nathaniel, he.

Wanted just to drop of water.

But when you look at this sum a little more closely,

you don't see that David is trying to soothe a

parch palate. In fact, you'll see that David, even though

he is surrounding by all.

Of the sandy dunes and.

The rock that are in the wilderness, this brother Tyler,

this man.

Is looking for God.

The very fact that he's not able to be a

doorkeeper in the house of his God is troublesome to him.

The fact that he's not able to enter the gates

of the house of God and to walk into the

courts of the Lord's house and the being God's presence

is troublesome and burdensome to David. You see, there's thirty

years between David's wilderness experiences, Brother Nathaniel. There is no

doubt that this man felt like he was reliving hard

times again. And the reason he's reliving this again, is

because of the sins of others. I want you to

know here tonight, the best of Holiness Churchill, the leadership,

and the elders of this church are not responsible for

you not having water in your wilderness. I want you

to know that we have found the Lord to be

a cool drink of water in the wilderness, and we

have found the Lord to be able to soothe our

parched of pallets. But a Nathaniel, But I feel like

there's somebody in this building tonight that is pointing a

finger at somebody and saying they are the reason for

why I am aware.

I'm at You know.

The first time day but spent some time in the

wilderness was when King Saul was in hot pursuit of

his buried life, and at that time he would have

been a young man freshly anointed to be the king

of Israel. Sister Howell has travels through the wilderness at

that time would have been somewhat easy for a man

of his ability than his stature brother Jesse. I feel

like he was more prepared mentally and physically during that

first experience in the wilderness. But we find him some

thirty years later, after he has become the King of Israel,

after he has enjoyed the kingship, after he's enjoyed the

blessings of God for thirty something years, we find him

leaving the kingdom on foot, barefoot, in fact, running from

his own flesh and blood. The green eye of envy

is staring a hole through him as he flees from

his very own kingdom. He was young, he is now

old since to howl at this time, he still feels

it to be true.

That he has not been forsaken by the Lord.

This morning there was an honorary celebration, nervous for our

elders and our scripture texts.

Was I have been all younger and now I'm old.

Yet I've not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed

begging bread.

There is no doubt about it.

Day even knew that God would supply all of his

needs according to his riches and glory. They even knew

very well what God had done for Moses and the

Cheerren of Israel during their time of want, during their

time of life, during their time of desperate need. The

Lord Jesus Christ, being that rock out of him, came

forth that living water that sustained Moses and the Congregation

of Israel. That happened in a wilderness. And I want

you to know here tonight, her reason why you're withering

away in the sandy dunes is because you have allowed

the sin of yourself to drive you into that wilderness.

And David, it didn't matter if he was young in

the wilderness or if he was an older man in

the wilderness. And this man knew that God was with

him and God was for him. If you look at

the first verson of our chapter sixty three tonight, the

Bible tells us exactly what David was longing for. David

was longing for more than a drink or a drop

of water. He said, my soul thirsty for thee, my

flesh longer for thee. Had I dried a thirsty land

where no water is. David had not done anything wrong

that we can find here in the world of God.

But he is in a a dry place. He's experiencing

a dry season. Forget about drinking the wine in the

goblet of the King. This man is in the wilderness.

And now it's a deer in search of water. So

David that he's looking for a stream. But sister, how

it's not the natural desire for hydration. That is driving

David to put pin in the parchment and give us

this song. I want you to know, even in the wilderness,

the children of God can have a prayer.

And a song.

Who sing here that this man of God, he told

us through poetry that he was thirsting for something beyond

H two Oh, he was thirsting for something beyond the water.

He's looking for something beyond the righteousness, because and we

know for his time David is a righteous man. And

he may seemingly be in hot pursuit of H. Two O,

but he is really in pursuit of the Lord. I

want you to know here tonight the reason why you're

in the wilderness and is because of your lack of

interest in pursuing the Lord.

It is why the Lord.

Has said to you repeatedly, seek me, Seek me, seek me.

Can I tell you that that Saint John, the Baptist,

who had been a force crowd out in the wilderness

concerning preparation for the coming of the Lord, at a

later dating time, as an older man, he found himself

in another season of a wilderness experience, and wild in prison,

he asked his disciples to go out and to fine

Jesus and his disciples. And he asked Jesus this question

to his disciples, Art now he that shook come?

Or do we look for another?

John the Baptist was not looking for a drinker of

water from.

The river Jordan.

John the Baptist was not looking for Jesus to minister

to his colonel appetites of fleshly needs. What John was

needing was reassurance and confirmation that the Lord was still.

Alive and royal, and that the Lord.

Had not aborned the mission of John his property, and

that the Lord himself. I want you to know tonight,

you ought to be able to see that in both

wildernness times had experience. John was looking for Jesus, I said,

Johnnah was looking for Jesus when he was young. Cousin

Johnah was looking for cousin Jesus when he's older. But

at the time of death to cousin, Johnnah is still

looking up for cousin Jesus. I'm telling you you looking

for the things of this world.

You're looking upon her. Those things of this world.

That double mindedness, that divis the spirit, that is what's

driving you here to your wilderness.

Ay Man, one of the greatest times.

Of desolation or trying or spiritual wilderness experience is after

the death of a faithful church member. Sometimes pastors, let

me be transparent, after they've been busy, busy, busy, busy

with this terminally ill patient hatter. They've been busy, busy,

busy navigating the church through that wilderness. After they've been busy, busy,

busy ministering to this one and ministering of that one.

Brother Nathaniel, when it rains, it pours, and it does

not satisfy. Afterwards, there is no satisfying well, and Brother Philip,

whenever you get out of that circumstance, it is immediately

after that that in pastoral ministry you begin to fuel

yourself as though you're in a time of desolation. You

look around and you think, what exactly is going on?

You know, in recent months we.

Buried too of our dear, precious, non toxic, non problematic,

non taxing, non troublesome pillars of our church. And you

look back and you say, God, what exactly has happened.

We don't question the Lord, we don't complain to the Lord.

We don't mumble and grumble and gripe. Brother Nathaniel not

at all. We still continue to praise him. But there's

this awesome awareness of the brevity.

Of life, and you realize.

People are dying in this wilderness of life, just as

Moses knew he had led some out of Egyptian bondage.

And Brother Jesse, there is cemetery. At the cemetery. After

the children of Israel would move from point A to

point B and so on, there would be new burial

sites and burial pots at the burial sites, and sandy dunes.

Upon sandy dunes, a little mounds or.

Where tears are the old lehydrate that that grain of

sand has seen, places where people mourned and sobbed, and

people that had received a promise that had laid waste

right there, Sister Howell, even where the wilderness itself es

seemed seamlessly by God, where Hell enlarged itself and swallowed

up those that would dare to grumble and griping to complain,

and those that would seek a quarrel against Moses. I

tell you what it gets you in a wilderness situation

right quickly as getting into a.

Quarrel with Moses.

One of the things that the children of Israel did

had to that they were in the wilderness of sin.

The Bible said, they said we are thirsty. They said

we are thirsty. And Brother Jesse, it got beyond grumbling

and gripping and complaining and murmuring against Moses.

They sought a quarrel against Moses.

And Sister, how everybody's saying, Pastor Moses, I'm thirsty, Pastor Moses,

I'm thirsty. Could you imagine, Sister, how those twenty grandchildren

saying to you and I incessantly over the period of

two to three hours, I'm thirsty, I'm thirsty. I know

after two or three hours, Papa would probably still be

about even killed. You know, you've borveled before. It my

ability to tune it out and to not let it

bother me, But if it was, Sister, how, Brother Jesse,

After about fifteen or twenty minutes, they say, listen, right here,

ain't no water anywhere around here, Ain't no soda pop,

ain't no milkshake, Ain't nothing right here at all to

help hydrate you or to satisfy your thirsty. So you're

murmuring and complaining has not gonna change the situation. They

got beyond that and their seeking quarrel with Moses. Are

y'all with Pastor Howell right here? And the Bible talked

about times like that. Whenever they were asking for hydration,

they're declaring they're thirsty, and the blame is fallen on Moses.

And I want you to know, all they had to

do was asked through the right spirit and go through

the right means. All they had to do was talk

to the Lord and tell the Lord all about it

with a spirit of thanksgiving up that God had literally

walked them through a salty sea.

God had literally walked them through.

Come on, now, gallon after gallon after gallon of water.

God could have relocated the red sea where they were at,

and God could have turned that salt water fresh and

just as he did in another time when they needed a.

Cool, refreshing drink of water.

God could have took that that was silent and made

it sweet, as he had done for the chill to

be Israel in the wilderness. And what I'm trying to

tell you is, if your spirit is right, no matter

your circumstance, you will be allowed to creature your thirst.

Not only will he quitture that punch palatin and the

thirst he will give you a satisfied will in himself,

I said, Jesus will be the rock out of which

living water willfweller, and he will satisfy your soul. It's

all in your attitude, so cool. Sin can drive you

into the wilderness. Sin can take you away from the

presence of God. Asked Judas as scary about that. The

sin of others consend you fleeing into the wilderness. Ask

the sweet so Mist of Israel that, but most of all,

the spirit of God can lead you into the wilderness.

Ask Jesus about that.

The Bible said, and he was led of the spirit

to buy the spirit sister, How to be tempted, to

be offered something to eat, to be offered something to drink,

to be offered kingdoms, to be sorely tempted and tested

of the devil. But Jesus realized, it is not a

natural thirst that humanity has. It is not a natural

thirst that mankind has. Jesus realizes there is a spiritual thirst.

And until your appetite changes, until your desired changes, until

your thirst changes, what are the things that you are

thirsty for? Would you be okay in naming them honestly?

Here tonight, What are you thirsty for? For they that

hunger and thirst out the righteousness shall be filled. You

will never be thirsty for righteousness, sir, and.

Not be felled to the fool. We're that you will

never actively seek and love for the Holy Girls and

not be filled with him.

There is something driving you here to the wilderness that.

Is not God. But there is water in the wilderness.

Ask Kgard, just tune in the heaven above, and he

will take care of you.

How sad there is water, he in no wilderness.

The spirit let Jesus into the wilderness, and David spent

years running from King Saul. But in the wilderness he

had a song, He had a praise, and he had

a prayer. In the wilderness, Jesus had a praise and

he had a prayer. Hey, come on, now, What kept

David from doubting the Lord's plan that he would sit

on the throne as the annoying had chosen ruler of

Israel one day? Hey, Jesus did the Lord did Brother Nathaniel?

He didn't dwell on the betrayal of Saul. He didn't

dwell thirty years later, on the betrayal of Absalom, He

didn't meditate on the misery of his circumstance. He didn't

taunt himself on what could be, what should be? What

Samuel that's supposed to be, Brother Jesse. He didn't ask

somebody to sneak into the kingdom and get the measurements

of his throne. He didn't ask anybody to go get

him a grape out of his vineyard in his kingdom.

He didn't ask anybody to do anything about the kingdom

that was promised him.

He's just out.

Turn the willderness, basically saying, God, I'm not gonna forget

the promise, but right now it's okay for me to

forget the promise. It's okay for me to forget the

blessings of the kingdom. As a young man, he was

a competess of Saul's kingdom, and as an older man,

he let everybody know, I'm here again. I'm here again.

I'm being tested again. I'm in the willerness barefooted again.

Hey come on, I'm running from my life again.

I'm gone through the same thing thirty years later. So

what God is with you?

If you walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

you ain't got to fear no evil.

God is with you.

Yes, you might be going through something, had to be

a saved all these years. My God is with you.

Do you realize how powerful King David was, ruler of

that part of the world, basically emperor, and the only

one that could send him packing did Absolom?

The only one that was so much like Daddy.

Everybody fell for him?

Oh, I fell the holy ghost.

The only one that could have pulled, plucked and pushed David.

Out of the throne.

Did he who worked the gates while David was busy

helping the people, He who worked the people over while

David was busy governing the people. And by the time

I'm absolo and got done, David's going barefooted. I've almost

feel like kicking my shoes off and showing you that's

just how close Absolom was to killing David. David didn't

even have time to put his shoes on. Are y'all

with me? And it goes running. He could have complained

and said, but I'm king. But the prophet Samuel came

to Daddy Jesse's house and a prophesied, And yet here

I go through this again. You mean, after I've been

promoted after Judah come ask me to be their king.

After Israel and Judah got together and made me the king.

After thirty something years, here I go through the wilderness again.

Oh yes, you can ask sister wilderness, sister howell.

They will tell you. As children of.

God, oftentimes we find ourselves in the wilderness. You can

ask John the Baptist and Jesus timing again when you'll

get to heaven, did you ever have to go through

the wilderness?

And they'll say yes.

And you know what, Papa Moses will say, the Prince

of preachers, he will say, try and lip it in

the widness, Hey, holding up promise, sir, trying to get

the primise, trying to cross the treshhog hold the promise,

trying to die, Hey.

Man, without living in the wilderness, trying to die. Can't

in let me try dying in the wilderness.

Even though meek Moses had done something God had not

told him to do. And God said, will Moses you

get to die in the wilderness? But I'm taking you

with me? How will the Holy ghost in this place?

Where's the body of Moses. You ain't gonna get to

walk in, Moses, you ain't gonna get to lead them

in Moses. They can't find the body though in the wilderness.

He didn't send you into the wilderness to die. If

he sent you there. He's not gonna leave you in

the wilderness to die if he sent you there. In fact,

the Bible said that holy ghost field second part of

the Godhead that went into the wilderness, led by the

third part of the Godhead. He walked out and came

out in the power of the spirit, started casting out devils.

Praise the Lord.

You don't go into the wilderness of God sits you

out there to die. I said, he won't leave you

in the wilderness to die. I'm gonna say it again.

Ask heygd Hask David hash Choco Baptist.

Ask Jesus, he won't leave you in the wilderness to die.

Because there's water in the wilderness. Well, I'm sitting out

here in the sandy dudes, meditating on betrayal. That ain't

Jesus doing that to you While I'm out here, sitting

in the wilderness wondering about what it must be like

to be in the kingdom.

That ain't Jesus doing that to you? David? He said, right.

Here, Oh God, thou art my God early will.

I seek THEE. My soul thirsty for THEE, my flesh

longer for THEE.

And I tried a thirsty land where no water is

what David saying is there ain't no sense in wishing

for water. All them grains are saying right there like

to have water. This god forsaken, desolate country would like

to have some water. Ain't no water here. I'm not

going to ask for water where there is no water,

but I am going to ask for the rain maker.

I ain't getting that, Brother, Philip, my God in heaven.

Sister, how.

I feel the Holy ghostay in this place right now.

You've deceived yourself thinking about your miserable circumstances. All your

misery taught yourself of what should be, what could be. Listen,

David focused on God. Dave amused on God. David meditated

on the law of the Lord. David meditated on the

Word of God. He wanted to see God's power. It

said there in verse number two, I want to see

your power. I want to see your glory. Basically, David

is saying, you know what, there's no use in putting

a request for h two o en, I just need

the rain maker, to come see me.

I ain't getting that. Brother Jesse, the Bible sip.

With Jesus got weak in the willderness have to being

sorely tested, tipted and tried to the devil. His spirit

was willing, but his flesh is a week. He's laying there,

and angels came and ministered to him into wild. Brother Nathaniel,

come here, buddy, Maca, let me use you. Come here, Macah.

I need you to act just as tired as you

can be, Brother Nathaniel, Brother Michah, sit right there. Just

act as tired and as exhausted as you can leaning

for just as tired and famished. That represents our Lord Jesus.

I'm ready to cast out devils. I'm ready to raise

the dead. I'm ready to heal the sick. I'm ready

to open blinded eyes. I'm ready to be the rainmaker.

I'm ready to satisfy all the Thurston souls.

What this flesh is so weak? So weak?

And his angelic servants came to him, propped his little

head up. The god Man, the god that spoke this

world into his distance, now has what probably nine and

a half ten inch diameter head. Angels look at this

man that has clothed himself in human flesh, and thank you,

poor pitiful little thing. But I know who's behind the veil.

I oh that Niagara falls roars under your glory. I

know that the horseshoe falls roars to your glory. I

know that the meld of snow, how the appellations comes

rolling down in your glory. Thank you, brother my and

Brother Nathaniel. And the Bible said in the angels ministered

unto him, Brother Nathaniel, they weren't ministering to the god Man,

the god half of the god Man. They're ministering to

that weak flesh. It's not a spiritual pep rally. That's

what I want you to know. When you go through

the wilderness, it's desolate and it's dry. If you are

a child of God. That's why early on in this

message I said child, because that's a child's thoughts.

Where is he? What happened to him? Where is God?

Jesus knows they're going to show up just in time.

And that's what dis sermon here tonight is meant to be.

It is meant to be timely in the fact that

your spirit will revive as a result of you receiving

this word of faith. He wanted to see God as

he saw him in a sanctuary. He longed to be

in church again. Verse number one shows where his thoughts were.

He's longing for God. He says, my flesh long for THEE.

The land is thirsty, but I thirst for THEE. Our

cotext was Jesus speaking to Peter, and he said, Peter,

Simon list somebody Satan had desired to have you assist you,

but I have prayed for you. I feel like right

there in that moment, Peter went from Satan has desired

to have me to when Jesus said, but I have prayed,

Thank you Lord. I could see in my mind's eye

this afternoon, while trying to get a nap, I saw

David out there barefooted. I need a holdiness preacher that's

not afraid to shed his shoes right here, and I

need you to bolt. No, I want you to shut

him right here hastily. I want a messenger. He's an

old man, he's well established. His security team and security

detail just delivered some news. If you stay in here,

you're as good as dead. If you stay another five

minutes and wicked Absolom come in and said, I scared

him out of his shoes. Daddy didn't even have time

to put his shoes on. But when David went out

to the way wilderness, he looked at all them loyal

subjects and servants. Come here, Brother Samuel. One of the

last things you want to do, it's traverse through the

wilderness barefooted. You can ask them prisoners award it. Ran

I had to run barefooted, Give them in my boots,

give me my shoes.

What I can tell you.

He may not have had the royal sandals on in

the wilderness, but he knew.

My feet are blessed.

How's that, David, blessed for the feet of them that

carry the gospel, I feel a song coming home blessed,

or the feet of those who steps are ordered by

the Lord? You mean, David, you mean you feel like

God somehow has his hand and you being out here again.

When we were young, David, it was okay. We were

conditioned for this, And David said, I'm just as conditioned

now for it, maybe even more so, Brother sam If

you go up down the center aisle right here, about

three times, I think if you looked at David, you'd

see him doing what this brother's demonstrating. Well, it'll be

a rock for a bed tonight. But I still got

my Jesus. The only water that I may have tonight

are tears produced as I swim upon my bed in tears.

But Jesus will bring me out of the wilderness, I said,

Jesus will bring me out of the wilderness. Jesus at

the end of his ministry three and a half years later,

after John the Baptist had said, here he is, he

goes to another wilderness experience. He hangs upon a cross,

and John chapter number nineteen, verse number twenty eight, it said,

after this, and I could preach right now on after

this and tell you what this was. After this Jesus,

knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture

might be fulfilled.

Saith I thirst.

Perhaps David as Jesus had suffered for hours without water,

But David as Jesus did long for something more than

liquid from the belly of the earth or from a

well of Bethlehem. Brother Nathaniel, I was done with this message.

This is how I know you had the message this morning.

I was done with this message. When I remembered your

text that you took in Sunday school with our young

people today. And when he asked for water to drink,

they gave him vinegar. They gave him sour, nasty vinegar.

But he turned his head up at it. Sister Hammond,

he didn't turn his head away.

He turned his.

Head up, said, y'all ain't got what I am looking for.

What you're presenting to me may appear to be mockery,

and it is. You should have gave me water for

my thirst. But he thirsted for God. And he asked

this question, and it breaks my heart every time I

think on it. My God, my God, Why hast thou

forsaken me? Not all of the ononess people that like

to listen to our sermons at times. Let me ask

you one question, without picking a fight, through sincerity, I ask,

how can God forsake himself? My father, my father, my God,

my God? Why has stuff forsaken me? That's what David

was longing for, and that's what Jesus was longing for.

Give me a drink of the water of life.

The woman came to the well where Jesus was propped

up upon with a bucket's gonna draw water for her family,

and Jesus told her giving me to drink. And she said,

how is it that you be and that you asked me,

a woman of samarity, to give you a drink? That

should be happening. He said, woman, if you knew who

it was that's speaking to you right now, you'd ask

me for a drink. And that's what I want to

end on tonight. Why are you not asking him for

a drink of his spirit? In a wilderness, yes, in

a dry place, yes, in a desolate place, yes, in

a desert place, yes, But why aren't you saying, Old God,

nowert my God?

Early?

Will I seek THEE? My flesh longeth for THEE, Brother Nathaniel.

Some of the soldiers mocked him by offering something revolting

instead of refreshing, something sour and bitter instead of something

satisfying and beautiful. Without us standing tonight, while every head

is bowed and all eyes are closed, I'll give it

to you. You've been in a wilderness. I want to

argue that point. That is a fact. But the reason

you're not drinking water in your wilderness is because you're

looking in the wrong places.

If God has helped.

You tonight thus far, and you need a drink of

water in your wilderness. I want to ask you to

move just as quickly as you can. While these heads

are bound and these eyes are closed to the altar,

I need a drink of water in my wilderness. We're

asking God for everything but him. I need to see

Thy power in thy glory, as I have seen THEE

in the sanctuary. Because Thy loving kindness is better than life.

My lips shall praise Thee. Thus will I bless THEE

while I live. I will lift up my hands in

Thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as withmorrow and fatness,

and my mouth shall praise THEE with joyful lips. Can

I tell you parched lips are not joyful lips. Let's

find somebody to pray with tonight? Could we do that?

They have acknowledged that their soul is thirsty for God?

What are you thirsty for? I've heard of people before

being thirsty for attention. I've heard of people before being

thirsty for promotion, craving, desiring something. Can I encourage you

to look for the satisfying well of Jesus Christ. Why

don't you tell the Lord right now? My soul longeth

for THEE. My soul longeth for THEE