diff --git a/src/plugins/discover/public/application/main/services/discover_app_state_container.ts b/src/plugins/discover/public/application/main/services/discover_app_state_container.ts
index 3b1bf5102506a..ac170a99312cf 100644
--- a/src/plugins/discover/public/application/main/services/discover_app_state_container.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/discover/public/application/main/services/discover_app_state_container.ts
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ function getInitialState(
     services,
   });
   return handleSourceColumnState(
-    savedSearch.id && (!appStateFromUrl || !Object.keys(appStateFromUrl).length)
+    savedSearch.id
       ? { ...defaultAppState }
       : {
           ...defaultAppState,
diff --git a/src/plugins/discover/public/application/main/services/discover_saved_search_container.ts b/src/plugins/discover/public/application/main/services/discover_saved_search_container.ts
index 11d976bd703eb..51850e7b77995 100644
--- a/src/plugins/discover/public/application/main/services/discover_saved_search_container.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/discover/public/application/main/services/discover_saved_search_container.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@ import { BehaviorSubject } from 'rxjs';
 import type { DataView } from '@kbn/data-views-plugin/common';
 import { SavedObjectSaveOpts } from '@kbn/saved-objects-plugin/public';
 import { differenceWith, isEqual, toPairs } from 'lodash';
+import { DataViewSpec } from '@kbn/data-views-plugin/common';
+import { loadSavedSearch } from '../utils/load_saved_search';
+import { InternalStateContainer } from './discover_internal_state_container';
 import { updateSavedSearch } from '../utils/update_saved_search';
 import { addLog } from '../../../utils/add_log';
 import { handleSourceColumnState } from '../../../utils/state_helpers';
@@ -31,6 +34,18 @@ export interface SavedSearchContainer {
   savedSearchPersisted$: BehaviorSubject<SavedSearch>;
   hasChanged$: BehaviorSubject<boolean>;
   set: (savedSearch: SavedSearch) => SavedSearch;
+  load: (
+    id: string,
+    {
+      internalStateContainer,
+      setError,
+      dataViewSpec,
+    }: {
+      internalStateContainer: InternalStateContainer;
+      setError: (e: Error) => void;
+      dataViewSpec?: DataViewSpec;
+    }
+  ) => Promise<SavedSearch | undefined>;
   get: () => SavedSearch;
   update: (
     nextDataView: DataView | undefined,
@@ -218,10 +233,32 @@ export function getSavedSearchContainer({
     return resetUrl(get().id || '');
   };
 
+  const load = (
+    id: string,
+    {
+      internalStateContainer,
+      setError,
+      dataViewSpec,
+    }: {
+      internalStateContainer: InternalStateContainer;
+      setError: (e: Error) => void;
+      dataViewSpec?: DataViewSpec;
+    }
+  ) => {
+    return loadSavedSearch(id, {
+      services,
+      appStateContainer,
+      dataViewSpec,
+      internalStateContainer,
+      setError,
+    });
+  };
+
   return {
     savedSearch$,
     savedSearchPersisted$,
     hasChanged$,
+    load,
     set,
     reset,
     resetUrl,
diff --git a/src/plugins/discover/public/application/main/services/discover_state.test.ts b/src/plugins/discover/public/application/main/services/discover_state.test.ts
index cf185ec2fdf6e..8518f94f01c48 100644
--- a/src/plugins/discover/public/application/main/services/discover_state.test.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/discover/public/application/main/services/discover_state.test.ts
@@ -86,16 +86,22 @@ describe('Test discover state', () => {
 describe('Test discover initial state sort handling', () => {
   test('Non-empty sort in URL should not be overwritten by saved search sort', async () => {
     history = createBrowserHistory();
-    history.push('/#?_a=(sort:!(!(order_date,desc)))');
+    history.push('/#?_a=(sort:!(!(timestamp,desc)))');
+    const savedSearch = {
+      ...savedSearchMockWithTimeField,
+      ...{ sort: [['bytes', 'desc']] },
+    } as SavedSearch;
 
     state = getDiscoverStateContainer({
-      savedSearch: { ...savedSearchMock, ...{ sort: [['bytes', 'desc']] } },
+      savedSearch: undefined,
       services: discoverServiceMock,
       history,
     });
-    // await state.setAppState({}, true);
+    state.savedSearchState.load = jest.fn(() => Promise.resolve(savedSearch));
+    await state.actions.loadSavedSearch(savedSearch.id!, undefined, jest.fn());
+    // await state.setAppState({});
     const stopSync = state.appState.syncState().stop;
-    expect(state.appState.getState().sort).toEqual([['order_date', 'desc']]);
+    expect(state.appState.getState().sort).toEqual([['timestamp', 'desc']]);
     stopSync();
   });
   test('Empty sort in URL should use saved search sort for state', async () => {
diff --git a/src/plugins/discover/public/application/main/services/discover_state.ts b/src/plugins/discover/public/application/main/services/discover_state.ts
index b65ac43e1d4b7..be80539c4c881 100644
--- a/src/plugins/discover/public/application/main/services/discover_state.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/discover/public/application/main/services/discover_state.ts
@@ -42,7 +42,6 @@ import { getSavedSearchContainer, SavedSearchContainer } from './discover_saved_
 import { DiscoverServices } from '../../../build_services';
 import { DISCOVER_APP_LOCATOR, DiscoverAppLocatorParams } from '../../../locator';
 import { DiscoverSearchSessionManager } from './discover_search_session';
-import { loadSavedSearch } from '../utils/load_saved_search';
 
 export interface AppStateUrl extends Omit<AppState, 'sort'> {
   /**
@@ -123,7 +122,7 @@ export interface DiscoverStateContainer {
       id: string,
       dataViewSpec: DataViewSpec | undefined,
       onError: (e: Error) => void
-    ) => void;
+    ) => Promise<SavedSearch | undefined>;
     loadNewSavedSearch: (
       dataViewSpec: DataViewSpec | undefined,
       onError: (e: Error) => void
@@ -267,9 +266,7 @@ export function getDiscoverStateContainer({
         if (appStateContainer.isEmptyURL()) {
           appStateContainer.set({});
         }
-        const currentSavedSearch = await loadSavedSearch(id, {
-          services,
-          appStateContainer,
+        const currentSavedSearch = await savedSearchContainer.load(id, {
           internalStateContainer,
           setError: onError,
           dataViewSpec,