I Thirst

 

For I will pour water upon him

that is thirsty, and floods upon

the dry ground: I will pour

my spirit upon thy seed, and

my blessing upon thine offspring.

Isaiah 44:3

From a visitors center in our national park there is a 2 mile trail one can walk into the nearest and very popular tourist town. It's a beautiful trail through the woods and mostly follows the beautiful roaring stream. Brian and I have walked that trail several times with no adverse effects in the process. The last time we walked the trail, however, and as we neared the visitors center, I suddenly became very tired and weak kneed. I sat down on a wide, rocky bridge railing and Brian decided to go get the car. Before he left we learned through conversing that I hadn't had my usual fluids to drink that morning and hadn't brought a bottle of water with me. Brian went ahead and got the car but also brought a bottle of water from the visitors center. I slowly but methodically drank the water in the bottle and immediately felt renewed physically. I was thirsty to the max and hadn't realized it.

As I've looked at the subject of thirst in God's Word, there were some who like me thirsted for natural water. Noah wasn't one of them, by the way.

God's people were returning back to their homeland from slavery in Egypt. Moses was doing all he could to keep all of the people happy. As a former social worker, I have often admired Moses for his patience and ability in dealing with a whole lot of people who were disgruntled most of the time. In chapter 17 of Exodus, we find the people griping. Moses had camped in one particular place where there appeared to be no water. Thousands of people...thirsty...murmuring, griping were almost threatening. It was all worked out thanks to God's intervention.

There are other places in Scripture where people found themselves really needing actual water to drink. I don't think there is anyplace in Scripture that I find as heart wrenching as when we see Jesus on the cross. In John 19:28, He called out, “I thirst.” Imagine all He had been through the hours previous to that moment. The last we know of His eating or drinking anything was the evening before prior to His arrest. He was beaten and abused and I can't imagine the blood loss let alone sweat loss. He had to have been completely dehydrated. As if His pain and agony wasn't enough, He made a simple statement in the hope that someone would respond...He was thirsty, that very basic physical need that had probably gone far beyond just having a dry mouth. His body was pleading for fluids. The Romans weren't of the mind to be kind or accommodating and never did give Jesus exactly what His body was craving.

If we are physically thirsty, it's as simple as can be for us to pour ourselves a glass of water, open a bottle of water, pop open a can of soda or go for a glass of juice. We know how to satisfy our thirst. But for we Christians, there is a thirst that goes beyond the physical. Psalm 42:2a makes a strong statement:

My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God....

Think of one of the thirstieth moments you can remember facing...after mowing the lawn on a warm summer day, after having a huge ham dinner (ham can create a killer thirst), when having been exercising, when arising in the morning after a long nights sleep that leaves us with “dry mouth”, and on and on. Under those circumstances, I am thirsty and want a good drink of water. I have to ask myself though, “What is my thirst level for God...for the living God?” Do I have a thirst for Him that drives me to Him for spiritual satisfaction that only God can meet.

Remember in John 4 where Jesus meets the woman at the well and asks her for a drink of water. They got into a conversation, Jesus explained to her that there is another water other than what comes from a well. In verse 14 Jesus said:

But whosoever drinketh of the water

that I shall give him shall never thirst;

but the water that I shall give him

shall be in him a well of water springing

up into everlasting life.

What a wonderful invitation Jesus extended to that dear lady and also extends at the same time to us as well. Notice His water is not force-fed. It's a choice we make. We can have as much of Jesus as we want to have. No need for dusty Bible reading...no more parched and dried up times of prayer...dehydrated attitudes and emotions a thing of the past.

I have been digging into Psalm 63 as of late. In it, David speaks of a yearning for more of God in His life and declares his thirst for God as well. His deep desire for God is so wonderfully expressed in verse 1:

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee:

my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth

for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where

no water is.

I so want more of God and less of me. I have the thirst and longing but know I can't do this on my own. For me, it will mean consistent and regular intake of that water that Jesus supplies and to recognize my need of it. I never want to lose my longing for Him and all He wants to provide for me in the good times and difficult ones. He stands ready to satisfy my spiritual thirst. I pray you and I will often drink deeply of Him and all He offers for our spiritual strengthening. We should have no hesitancy in going to Him and simply saying, “I thirst.”

Unlike those Roman soldiers at Jesus' crucifixion, He is happy to meet our every physical and spiritual need.

Lord Jesus...You have said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” So here I am...I'm coming to You because I'm thirsty. I want more of You in my life than I have ever known before. I love You. In Your precious name. Amen