God trains leaders, and the process can be painful. During David’s long journey to become king, he ended up in a town called Ziklag. Scholars aren’t sure where this place was, only that it was in the remote Judean wilderness. Ziklag means “pressure,” and it refers to the process of shaping molten metal. Sound familiar?
You may be in a wilderness right now. You may feel dry and far from God. But you can rejoice! You are in training in God’s war zone. David wrote, “My soul thirsts for you…in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1). David didn’t lose faith. He stayed thirsty for God. He prayed constantly—knowing that he was in the forge. God was applying heat and pressure to shape him for the throne. You can’t reach your maximum impact as a disciple-maker and leader without spending time in Ziklag!