Have you ever been thirsty? I have. I can think of times on hot days where I was working outside, sweat pouring, body aching, and the thirst. The thirst was so bad that I wanted to drop everything and run to get something wet; anything wet would do, but something, even just a drop to dampen the tip of my tongue. Yes I have been thirsty, but have I really been thirsty?
I can think back to movies where they portray a wandering man, dehydrated to the point of death, clawing his way along the desert floor. He is so weak that he can’t even stand. The scene cuts to the blaring hot sun beating down at its strongest in the afternoon. Then we see a long range shot of the man lying on the desert floor, nothing around as far as the eye can see, and the sand is so hot that you can see the heat cascading up from the dunes. He has gone days without water. So desperate that he eventually starts to imagine things, sees mirages. There are stories where it gets to the point that the individual starts drinking sand.
This is real thirst. So thirsty that you would do anything for water, even imagine it is there and drink sand. Thinking of this, I thank the Lord that I have never been really thirsty. Yes, my body has longed for a sip of something to quench a minor inconvenience, but nothing like real thirst. I would venture to guess that most reading this post would have to say the same thing.
The great thing about the concept of thirst is that it is something that everyone can relate to. You see, water is our life source. Most doctors agree that the average person can survive 4 to 6 weeks without food. On the other hand, an average person on an average temperature day can only survive about a week without a source of water.
Symptoms of dehydration range from mild to severe. We have all experienced dry mouth, maybe loss of tear and sweat production, maybe even cramps and nausea due to dehydration. But, as the body becomes even more dehydrated, the heart begins to pump harder in order to keep the level of blood supply up, the veins and capillaries constrict, blood volume begins to diminish. All this leads to confusion and weakness as the brain and muscles begin to receive less oxygen. If left to continue, organ failure, and even death will occur.
I understand that this is all common knowledge, but how many of us have ever thought to stop and think about it? What would happen if? I doubt many of us have. It is not a common problem. If we get thirsty we just go over and grab a cup of water from the sink or and ice cold bottle from the vending machine.
Even though we do not ponder thirst all that much in our daily lives, there is something we should ponder every day. That is our thirst for God, His Word and the Holy Spirit. The Psalmist writes of a deer panting, thirsting for water and compares it to his own souls longing, thirsting, and panting for the Lord.
Do we do this? Can we compare our thirst, even the mildest thirst we have ever experienced, to our thirsting after God? Does your soul feel dry like the tongue of a thirsty man? Do you claw at the ground, seeking out soul quenching wisdom from the Word of Life? Each day, do you start anew with the longing of guidance from the Holy Spirit? Can you say that the quest, the need for the presence of God is so ingrained in your person, that by a pure act of instinct you are walking through the dense forest, hopeful for even a glimpse of the waters edge?
You see, God is our life force. We should seek Him out, daily, hour by hour, minute by minute. We should long after His heart, His word, His Spirit like the deer longs to touch its dry and thirsty tongue to the waters surface. Each day should be filled with the unyielding desire to dwell in the house of the Lord. Each moment we should be wanting, no yearning to feel His presence in our lives, guiding, teaching, protecting, nourishing our very essence. God, like the waters edge, should be our never ending quest.
So, how thirsty are you? If the time was taken to search out your life, your desires, how dehydrated is your soul, your mind, or your heart? Do you truly thirst after God or do you just fill up your glass at the tap or slide the dollar in the vending machine whenever you get the urge to, and forget about it the rest of the time?
Just as I am encouraging myself, I encourage you to make each day new. Start each morning with a promise that today, today you will try to thirst for the soul quenching water of life, the kind that only God can provide. I implore you to long for the waters edge, the presence, purpose, power and provision that can only come from Him.
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