Thirsting After God

“ …. As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.....” — Psalm 42:1-2

A person can survive, on average (which is to say there are exceptions), for about three days with no water – or at least something containing water. Water, as everyone knows, is vital to life. Have you ever been really thirsty? Perhaps after working outside in the heat? Then you know that nothing satisfies thirst like water. It is the way that God created us. You might say we were made from mud – 65 percent water and 35 percent dust or dirt. Our bodies must have water to survive – without it we will die.  I am certain that you have seen a movie where someone is in the desert – struggling to put one foot in front of the other – imagining that they see water, but it is only a mirage.  They may have great wealth, but the only thing on their mind at that moment is water – what they would give for a drink of water. Did you know that you can die of thirst if you are adrift on the ocean? “Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.” If you drink salt water you will die – your only hope is to catch rain water.  So just because it is a liquid does not mean that it is good for your health. Ok, so where am I going with this?

We should have the same passion – urgency – for God that we have for satisfying our thirst with water.  That is what the psalmist was saying.  As reborn children of God, our greatest passion should be for Him. “Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.” That passion should be like the man in the desert – wanting water above all else.  That does not mean we don’t have a life and relationships (that is the second greatest commandment) – but that our lives should be in proper perspective – emanating from our passion for God. Do you feel that way about your faith? Are you passionate about it or is it something that you have, but not necessarily the priority of your life.  Like you are standing in line to get into an event and you are anxious. But once you pass through the gate, once you are in, you are not quite so anxious or passionate.

“Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, ‘How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?’ For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’ The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?’ Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.’” – John 4:9-14

Once anyone has taken a drink of the water that Jesus offers, their thirst that could not be quenched with anything that the world had to offer will be eternally satisfied. But that should awaken a passion for God.  They should want more. There are no substitutes. Anything the world offers is like drinking salt water. Yes, it is wet but it only leads to death. In the case of a Christian, it leads to a lost passion for God. Love for the things of this world will always dim your light. Your life will become indistinguishable from those who are headed for hell. Do you have a thirst for God? 

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.” – Matthew 5:6

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone