“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 KJV
They say that by the time one begins to feel thirsty, one is already experiencing extremely dangerous dehydration. I can remember long treks through Asian mountains and forests in tropical temperatures where I was so preoccupied with not tripping or slipping or falling that often I forgot to keep sipping my water canteen throughout the day. By the time night fell at the campsite or village, my muscles were stiff and sore, my head hurt, and my heart sometimes would palpitate. When I would take a long drink of cool water, I would notice my body’s immediate positive response. That water was life giving to my mortal body.
In that same way our souls, our spirits can become dry and thirsty. The stresses and perplexities of our lives can often drain our inner peace of mind, leading us to a place where we can actually experience spiritual dehydration. We are still in Christ, He is still with us, but our broken hearts cannot seem to find that inner stream of rejoicing that we are offered through the Holy Spirit. These moments, these wildernesses come from time to time, and each time feels as if it is endless. But in these dry and weary places something is begun in us: we hunger, yes and we thirst FOR HIM, as if we were in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Our very life force depends upon our connection to HIM. For He holds the fountain of living water that can restore our souls.
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus promises, “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied.” (Matt 5:6) What does thirsting for His righteousness look like in our lives? It looks like turning away from every ungodly thought and inclination and surrendering again to the One who loves us best. It means relying on His righteousness to make us clean and whole again. It means forgiving the unforgivable. It means embracing all that Jesus calls the Kingdom, and laying down any false kingdoms we may have found ourselves building. It means seeking His Kingdom first, and all of His righteousness.
Beloved. We are so blessed to have our Faithful Shepherd who leads us and guides us beside still waters. Our Shepherd is the one who makes us lie down in green pastures where He restores our souls. If you are dry and weary, just cry out again to Jesus. He calls us, “Is anyone thirsty?”
~ Debbie Ecker
