http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+42:2&version=NIV
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20107:8-9&version=NIV
Thirst. Would you say that it’s a good thing or a bad thing? I guess it depends upon how thirsty you are! The fact is that no one likes to be thirsty. Thirst is unpleasant. Thirst is our body’s way of telling us that we need water. Water is essential to our health. And our very life. Those who specialize in the health and/or human anatomy tell us that everyone needs water. And plenty of it. It is recommended that we drink 64 oz of water per day. Or more. Lack of water not only leads to thirst but also fatigue, headaches, constipation, confusion and, in extreme cases, the shutting down of organs and death. So water is very important to us. And thirst is the first signal that we are low on it.When I was attending Crown College I took several Preaching courses. Near the end of one of the courses each student had to prepare and deliver a sermon to the rest of the class. In the chapel. If you’ve never been to Crown College the chapel is huge. Cavernous is more like it. It seats around 600+ students. Our class size was about 12. So picture 1 student preaching to 11 other students and the professor. Can anyone say the word, echo?
Anyway, the one sermon (and only sermon that I remember) came from Chou Vang. Chou was from the country of Laos. To open his sermon he asked if we had ever been thirsty. Really thirsty. Then he told about a time when he had experienced this. The Communists had overrun his country and he was rounded up along with a number of others. He was something like 12 at the time. Hands tied behind their backs, the whole group was forced to march for miles in the hot sun. As a result he became very thirsty. I’m guessing he was thirstier than any of us has even been. I forget exactly what happened next. Obviously they didn’t get killed since Vang was talking about his experience in his sermon. It was probably a means of intimidation. The result was that this single experience was burned into his memory. After I heard him speak it was burned into mine as well. How was I to know that one of my fellow students had suffered such a traumatic experience? Vang then went on to talk about how physical thirst is a picture of spiritual thirst. One day Vang accepted Jesus as his Savior. His spiritual thirst was quenched. He eventually made his way to the United States. And then to Crown College.
It is interesting that Bible has a lot to say about thirst. First of all, it gives us several examples of people who were thirsty. There’s Hagar and her son, Ishmael, who were both ready to die of thirst when God miraculously provided them with water in the dessert. Then there are the Israelites who periodically suffered thirst as they wandered through the wilderness. Once again God miraculously quenched their thirst in a variety of ways, from making bitter water sweet to causing water to gush from a rock. Then there is the picture of Jesus dying on the cross and one of His few statements is simply, “I thirst”. Someone quickly put a sponge full of vinegar to His lips. He died shortly thereafter.
Secondly, the Bible talks about thirst in spiritual terms. In this way thirst can lead us to God. It can cause us to seek Him. One of my favorite verses is found in Psalm 63:1. “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek You; I thirst for You, my whole being longs for You, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” There is nothing like thirsting after God. Wanting Him. Needing Him. Desperately needing Him. So much so that we can’t go on without Him. If you've ever been there then you know exactly what I mean. Just as intense physical thirst can be very uncomfortable so can spiritual thirst. It's enough to drive us to our knees. In despair. And you know what? When we get that desperate, water miraculously appears! God quenches our thirsty souls. He sends His refreshing Holy Spirit. All of a sudden we are full of love. And peace. And rejoicing. We feel God's presence like we never have before. And we want more. More of Him. This is what I earnestly desire. To have my spiritual thirst quenched in such a way that I will never be the same!
“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” Revelation 22:17
Lord, I am thirsty. Desperately thirsty. Thirsty for You. Come quench my thirst. Satisfy me with Yourself. Fill me to overflowing. Let that overflow spill into the lives of others around me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment