“En-Gedi is actually the name of a spring which flows from a height of 656 feet above the Dead Sea. In the Bible, the wasteland near the spring where David sought refuge from Saul is called “the wilderness of En-Gedi” and the enclosed camps at the top of the mountains, the “strongholds of En-Gedi.”

For David and his men, this was a literal oasis in the desert. It served as restoration to their bodies, minds and spirits, and they experienced God’s provision in barren desert at the lowest place on earth. That is, only until the word got back to Saul on where David was hiding. Nevertheless, even at that time, when their peaceful haven was about to be invaded, God protected them all the same.

There is so much more to En-Gedi than simply a hidden refreshment during the harshness of life.

A Promise of Life

Like David, if you have been promised greatness, it is to be expected that the seemingly opposite will follow.

David was lied about, rejected, hunted, physically exhausted, emotionally drained, and spiritually empty. When you walk through what feels like the lowest place you’ve ever been to, it is there that En Gedi awaits.

The Lord knows your difficult story, your unwanted journey of survival, and the forgotten promises that He has reserved for you. He is more than able to lead you to a place of full restoration of it all, a place of rest and of hope.

It’s in these tough times that our hearts learn to trust His voice and His leading.

“This is what En Gedi is for – refreshment and restoration in the midst of a hard journey. But it wasn’t the final destination.”

Ridge. / noun. a long narrow raised land formation of a mountain crest with sloping sides.