How to satisfy a thirsty heart

. . . He leads me beside still waters. (Psalm 23:2)

Sheep are fearful of fast-running water and must drink from quiet pools such as wells and cisterns. All three were rare at the time of David so the flock also required a Shepherd to lead them to the best watering places when they were thirsty.

This morning, I came to the Word thirsty. The following passages were like cool, clear water to my soul. First, the vivid invitation of Jesus . . . 

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. (John 7:37)

My thirst and my response to this invitation is like that of the psalmist, “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)

Where does such thirst come from? I’ve not stopped reading the Word of God or been away from its satisfying power so as to feel empty and needy. Sometimes a good meal continues to stir the appetite even when our tummy is full and cannot hold any more. But sometimes we feast on too much junk food and wind up full but not satisfied. Maybe I’m thirsty because reading novels and watching television does not satisfy the thirst in my heart?

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? (Isaiah 55:1-2)

Instead, God asks, “Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.” He tells me, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near . . .”  

This passage also has a warning to the “wicked” to forsake their thoughts and ways. As a forgiven and justified child of God, surely I must also abandon any unrighteous thoughts and ways. I’m convicted to paraphrase Isaiah 55:8-9 this way: “God says, ‘For My thoughts are rarely found in a novel, nor are My ways depicted in most TV shows’ declares the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than anything you might be drinking in to satisfy your thirsty heart.’”

The last quote is a familiar one from the Beatitudes where Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6) but I need to come to Him, for that satisfaction is not found anywhere else.

No Longer Thirsty

Interesting that on the last day of 2011 Spurgeon selects a passage of Scripture that describes what Jesus did on another last day more than two thousand years ago.

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37–39)

It was close to the time of His arrest, trial, and subsequent crucifixion, but Jesus was still thinking about the eternal destiny of the people He came to save. He pleaded with them to recognize their thirst and come to Him for satisfaction that would not only last forever, but would bless everyone who was touched by its flow. He knew that the Holy Spirit would enter their lives as soon as He was glorified. This was His great longing for them and for us.

How does a person know if they are thirsty for the living water that only Jesus can supply? Is it a desire to know the truth? Is it a search for answers to those big questions like, “Why am I here?” “Is there life beyond this life?” “What is my purpose for existing?” “Is there a God?” “If there is, can I know for sure?” “What can I do about my sin and guilt?” Does God forgive, and if so, how can I be forgiven?”

For me, the questions were along the line of what happens when I die? My father told me that energy is neither created nor destroyed. I don’t know if he was correct or not, but I do know that I was filled with a burning desire, a thirst, to know what would happen to the energy of me after I died.

I didn’t come to Jesus though. I looked for answers in all sorts of other places, but none of them gave me that living water that Jesus promises to those who believe. Finally He came to me, put the drops on my tongue, and that was the last day of my thirst and my search.

On this last day of the year I am thinking of how wonderful to know Jesus and to experience the fulfillment of this promise. I drink deeply of His living water, having learned that nothing else satisfies my search or my thirst. I know the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. He gives me love, peace, joy and a whole pile of grace that I cannot earn or deserve. He is a blessing beyond compare, given all because Jesus was willing to die and be lifted up, and in the doing of it, be glorified for my sake.

Yesterday’s headaches, literal and figurative, are gone because the Lord of life washes them away, making me clean, whole, filled with Himself. I want to stand today, on this last day, and cry out, “If anyone is thirsty, come to Jesus and drink. Whoever believes in Him, as the Word of God promises, will receive and be a channel for living water. This is possible because Jesus died for us, rose again for us, and was glorified so the Holy Spirit could come and fill us with all the fullness of the Himself.”

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Lord, I was thirsty and You satisfied me. Every time that I feel even the slightest bit parched, You are here with me, giving me all that I need to be satisfied, blessed, and a blessing. This is incredible good news. Help me share it in 2012 with every thirsty soul that You bring into my life.

To Live is Christ — trusting Him to nurture

This is day six for these verses, unusually long to be directed by my devotional guide to the same place. 

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. When shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1–2)

The author of this guide asks if “feast or famine” describes my relationship with God. I think neither, since I’m not one to polarize how I do anything. However, this morning I feel famished.

Bad news last night added to the highs of Sunday and the fatigue of yesterday. Without sleeping well last night, I feel drained and empty. I come to God with statements similar to the psalmist, knowing that these thoughts are not uncommon for God’s people. 

O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1)

My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. (Psalm 84:2)

I spread out my hands to You; my soul longs for You like a thirsty land. Selah. Answer me speedily, O Lord; my spirit fails! Do not hide Your face from me, lest I be like those who go down into the pit. (Psalm 143:6–7)

Even in their emptiness, the psalmists know that God is alive. In their day, nations worshiped statues of wood or gold, but no matter how primitive or ornate, a statue is fashioned by the hands of the worshipers. God is our maker, not the other way around. Paul wrote of this to the church at Thessalonica, “. . . how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9)

Going back to Psalm 42, I see more of my own thoughts. Verse three says, “My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, ‘Where is your God?’” (Psalm 42:3)

No one is mocking my faith, but as I examine my own feelings, these sorts of doubts creep in when bad news happens. They come from a false expectation that God is creating heaven on earth for me, and that nothing will ever go wrong. Putting that into actual words exposes how naive it is. I just taught a class about the will of God and suffering. I know that God not only allows it, but it can be a gift from Him that will help me grow.

Today I’m less concerned about the growth I might need and more concerned about others whose lives are falling apart. I don’t want God to use disasters in the lives of family or friends to produce growth in me. I want Him to be involved in their lives, helping them hunger and thirst for Him. I want Him to answer my prayers for them and see them turn from idols to serve Him.

Learning patience under trial is part of the Christian experience. Learning patience and maintaining hope when others are under trial is a more difficult lesson, at least for me. I want God to be merciful and fix the problems. He can change lives. Why does He not do it?

The positive side is that unlike the psalmist, I don’t have to wonder when I can come before God. Because of Jesus, He is always available. The Old Testament temple veil has been torn in two. The way is open. I can talk to Him anytime and about everything.

Seeing then that I have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, I need to hold fast my confession. For I do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with my weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as I am, yet without sin. I therefore can come boldly to the throne of grace, that I might obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need, my own need and the needs of others. (Hebrews 4:14–16, personalized)

To Live is Christ — thirsty yet satisfied

When I read today’s devotional verses, somewhere in my memories popped up an image of a young deer on a warm day. Its mouth was open and its eyes were glazed in desperate panic. It wanted water badly enough to ignore my presence. 

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. When shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1–2)

Have I ever felt like that? Sometimes when life is tough I’ve felt a desperation for my troubles to go away, but this is not the yearning that the psalmist is talking about. It is more like the deer who will ignore everything else in its quest for water.

Watchman Nee, a Chinese Christian who was martyred years ago, taught that the soul consists of our intellect, emotions, and volition. That is, it is the part of me that thinks, feels, and decides. When I apply that to this verse, then I have a better image of what the psalmist is talking about.

A person who is thirsty for God thinks about Him continually. Because my spiritual life involves an enemy who wants to drag me into sin, the Bible tells me several things about the way I think. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. . . .” Paul also wrote,

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3–5)

The mind is a battlefield. How I think affects what I say and do. If my mind, as part of my soul, is thirsting for God, I’m less apt to lose a round to sin.

Emotions are closely related to thoughts. That is, whatever I am thinking will affect how I feel. Faith is part of this. Billy Graham once said that Facts, Faith, and Feelings are like cars on a train. If faith in the facts pulls the train, then feelings fall into line, but if we let feelings pull our train, we get derailed.

When I think about God, am thirsty for God, and desire to be with God, my emotions are engaged in a positive way. Instead of despair or apathy or any other negative emotions, I feel hopeful, even excited. There is nothing as joyful as “appearing before” the living God. His presence settles my heart and gives me peace.

Of course choices are a big part of this. I can decide what I want to think about (and feelings will follow). Volition is a matter of the soul. If I’m thirsty for anything, I must decide what to do about it. When my choices are centered on seeking God and being near Him, then thinking about Him and feeling positive and joyful become much easier. My soul is satisfied with that choice.

Thirsting after God does not ignore the mean things of life. In fact, those trials are the way that I have learned how to have such a thirst. Only the Lord can satisfy me when the bottom falls out. Only His refreshing will lift me up when life tosses me flat on my face in the mud.

Now I can imagine myself being a thirsty deer. This can be a feeling of panic and desperation, but it can also be excited delight as I run eagerly for Living Water.

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Thirsty?

When things converge in a delightful way, most people call it coincidence. For those of us who know God, we see His divine providence at work.

I’m continually praying for my children, which is one item of the five that converge this morning. The second is reading the prayer of Daniel in Daniel 9:3ff which is how I have been praying lately. The third is that I have been wondering if God is listening, yet filled with the sense that my only appeal is in His mercy. The fourth is last week’s evidence of answered prayer for one of them, which was a great encouragement. Now today, my devotional guide takes me to Isaiah 44:3, which says, “For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.”

That is one blessing for today—the reminder that God is hearing my prayers and He will pour out His Spirit on my family. Every time I read this passage from Isaiah, I am surprised by the blessing in it. My heart rejoices that God knows the heart of a mother that cares about the spiritual well-being of her family.

However, the reading for today offers another blessing. It focuses on being thirsty for God and the author writes that this does not happen to those who are spiritually dead. The unsaved person desires God about the same way a corpse wants a drink of water. This spiritual thirst is for those who have been made alive, those upon whom God has poured out His Spirit.

Some of my family knows Christ. Some do not. All of them have heard of Him. All have seen Him in creation. The starry sky, roaring sea, and bountiful earth declare Him. All have read of Him in the Bible and learned about Him in either church or Sunday school at some point in their lives, but I cannot see evidence of this thirst to which Isaiah refers. It may be there, but I’m not aware of it.

Of course there are many obstacles to feeling thirst. The author of my devotional says that before God gave him new life in Christ, he “loved the world too dearly to look to Him who made it, and myself too warmly and affectionately to seek Him who would bid me crucify and mortify it.”

That is the rub. The world is lovely. The things of the world (selfish desires, pride, stuff, etc.) can look lovely too, and it is this, not the starry skies, that keep us from thirsting after God. That thirst for bigger, better, and more does it. That is why, for some, God must take away worldly things before a soul begins to thirst after Him.

The other thing that can be an obstacle to trusting God is the threat of loss. The old nature and all that it wants must be denied. Without knowing the blessedness of living with a new nature, this is terribly frightening. Will God rob me of everything I enjoy? Will He send me to the mission field? Will I have to give up all my friends?

The psalmist knew that God gives far more. That is why he wrote, “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. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, ‘Where is your God?’” (Psalm 42:1-3). The remainder of the psalm indicates that he felt that God had abandoned him, hence his strong desire or thirst.

Only someone who has known the taste of clear, cool water longs for it. Only someone who knows the fellowship and power of God misses it when He seems absent. Those who don’t know God have no thirst. Only the Spirit of God can generate it in our barren hearts.

To those who sense this need, Jesus gives an invitation and a promise. He says, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37). He also said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). When someone thirsts for God, Proverbs 10:24 also promises that, “The desire of the righteous shall be granted.”

As I pray today, I must first allow myself to feel that emptiness and thirst for God, not try to fill it with other things. Then, as He satisfies me, I will continue to pray that He pours out His Spirit and gives that same godly thirst to those who are oblivious to their need for Him.

Fullness possible with a 'full head'?

Yesterday’s devotional reading was about the scarcity of “fullness” in the lives of most Christians. Instead of being “enlarged” by difficulties, many become impoverished. This is not God’s intention or desire. Trials are supposed to perfect us, not send us backward.

My husband’s head cold bit me last night. I went to bed with stuffed sinuses, headache, sore throat, and “Oh, no” because tomorrow morning I leave on my annual holiday in Canmore at the Canadian Rockies Quilt Art Conference.

This morning, fortified with Nin Jiom® (herbal, the best cough/cold remedy, and Cold FX®that is proven to relieve and shorten colds — this sounds like a commercial), and before I opened my Bible, I thought that God could have a purpose in allowing this. Could He be testing to see if I will allow a simple cold to “enlarge” me? I know the misery I feel could easily turn my eyes off Him and unto poor me. So could the quilt conference for that matter.

Today, He takes me to Revelation 21 and a description of the new heavens and new earth where there will be “no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.” Funny how the dullness of a head cold can make those thoughts very appealing. However, it was this verse that speaks to me today, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.”

This is the promise of God, the eternal One who accomplished our full salvation, and about the full satisfaction of heaven, but there is a present truth in this promise. During His ministry on earth, Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

Isaiah said it too, “‘Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid, for YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’ Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” and again, “I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground . . . .”

God will bless anyone who thirsts for Him. That is what He wants from me, not a thirst for my cold to vanish, or a good time in Canmore, or even that I am “enlarged” by both experiences. He wants me to just want Him, and He will satisfy that desire.

But He surprises me too. My husband planned a golf trip while I’m away, so our granddaughter was supposed to stay at her mother’s, but some issues came up and we thought of other options. One of them is that she goes to Canmore with me. The Holy Spirit said yes, I say yes, my husband and daughter say yes, and so did the grandchild. I’m in classes all day and she is free to roam this lovely setting and hopefully to see the hand of the Creator. (She is old enough to be alone, but we are not yet sure she would be safe.)

As I’ve been thinking about my head cold, this change of plans, and the above promise that He will satisfy the thirsty heart, those verses took me to a place in Isaiah that God has used many, many times to assure me about my family. I never plan it, He just has me in Isaiah 44 every now and then. And it always surprises me, because, even though the words are for Israel, by them God says to me, “This is who I am and what I can do. Take comfort.”

After the part that says, “I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground,” God says, “I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring; they will spring up among the grass like willows by the watercourses. One will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’; another will call himself by the name of Jacob; another will write with his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’ and name himself by the name of Israel.”

I’ve no idea what this trip will mean. We have several hours driving, and several days sharing a room and meals. What I want is His Spirit poured out on this child, and on me too, but even as I write it, He reminds me that I am simply to thirst after Him.