When I was 10 years old, I remember on hot summer days, riding my red Huffy bike all over the cracked sidewalks in our little town with my friends.
As the sun beat down on me, I’d get so hot and thirsty, I’d come crashing through our front door, all out of breath, slamming my bike helmet down on the kitchen table, (with my sweaty hair sticking up everywhere) and pant,
“Mom! I need water! (GASP!)
I’m dying of thirst!”
I was slightly dramatic—which Mom reminded me of, but I really felt that thirsty.
Like if I did not get a drink right then–
I would die of thirst.
The reality of it is: you actually can die of thirst. It’s not a problem we often have in first world countries—but all over the world, people sadly die of thirst every day.
Have you ever thought about what thirst is?
Thirst is a signal your body sends telling you that: you need water.
And if you think about it—it’s a gift from God that he designed our bodies to feel “thirsty.” Because if we never felt the sensation of thirst, we would easily die of dehydration.
We would simply forget to drink.
To lose your ability to feel thirsty is dangerous for your body, but it’s even more dangerous for your soul.
Soul Thirst
Perhaps no one in our country is dying of thirst for lack of water, but many are dying of another kind of thirst.
Soul thirst.
Soul thirst is the thirst you feel deep within you because you need to come into the presence of God and hear Him speak to you through His Word, the Bible.
If you’ve ever felt anxiety, or fear, or discouragement—perhaps, what you were really feeling was soul thirst.
Perhaps, your soul was really just thirsting for God–the One you were made for.
David wrote this about his own soul’s thirst:
“O God, you are my God;
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you;
as in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1-2
Listen to his language…
“My soul thirsts for You.
My flesh faints for You.
As in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
David compared the thirst in his soul, to that of the thirst in his flesh. And if he did not find God, if he did not drink of Him, or enter His presence, he would die. His soul would die of thirst.
David’s soul was desperate for God, and so is ours.
Think About It
- -Do you feel a deep thirst inside of you?
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- -Do you feel anxious about something, or conflicted in a relationship, or fearful of the future? Do you feel discouraged where you are at, or troubled within? Maybe, you are simply
thirsty.
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- Maybe, your soul is thirsty for God.
Perhaps the thirst you are feeling is actually the Holy Spirit, signaling you:
“Attention! Attention! You need to drink,
or you will die of thirst!
Seek water! Drink!”
A Prayer for the Thirsty
Dear God,
You are the water that my soul needs. Apart from you, I will die of thirst.
Please show me if I’ve been ignoring my soul’s thirst.
Show me if I’ve been numb to my soul’s thirst,
or trying to satisfy it with other things.
Allow me to feel a deep thirst for You.
You have all the water I need.
My soul thirsts for You.
My body longs for You,
As in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So please come, and water me now.
In Jesus Name,
Amen.
Action Steps
Make an appointment to meet with God for the next 4 days. Write it on your calendar, or add it to your calendar app, write it on your hand if you have to. Then, set your alarm for that time tomorrow.
Expect things to come up that will try and block you from getting to God’s word, His water—but don’t let them. Your soul needs to be quenched by Him. You need this to survive. You need it, to thrive.
The above excerpt above is from “Day 1: Soul Thirst” of my 5-Day Infertility Devotional: Watered in the Wasteland. Would you like to get the full devotional delivered straight to your email? All you have to do is sign up with your email address and name and I will send it over!
Let me know if you have any trouble getting the devotional, and you can visit this post, “Get My FREE Infertility Devotional: Watered in the Wasteland,” for more details about downloading and saving it. (Be sure to check your SPAM folder;)
During the month of February 2020, me and the ladies in my Barren to Beautiful Community Facebook Group are walking through this together and discussing the material here. (If you are a female, and need some extra encouragement, I’d love for you to join! Just go here.:)
May Jesus water you in the wilderness today, and quench your thirst more than you ever thought possible.
So much love,
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