As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? –Psalm 42:1-2
I recently attended a meeting that lasted for several hours. This meeting started early in the morning and went well past lunch. It was held in an area where food and drink were not permitted. Not long into the events of the morning I started noticing that my moth was dry. The longer into the meeting we went the more and more I began to concentrate on how thirsty I had become. Before long, I began to lose focus on the work that was being done. By noon, I would have gladly purchased everyone in the room a Coke just to have a drink myself. In a short time, my thirst had become an overwhelming sensation and hijacked my attention.
Thirst is a powerful sensation. It tells us when we need to drink water. Thirst is part of God’s wonderful design that helps to keep our bodies healthy and functioning properly. Most sources suggest that the average person drink around 8 ounces a day. Our bodies have a built-in gage to tell us when we fail to properly hydrate.
I believe the that God, who designed our bodies, also designed our souls to know when they are thirsty. As the Psalmist wrote so long ago, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Just like we were created with a need for water, we were also created with a need for God. When we neglect our time with God, those opportunities to draw close and receive God’s grace, we deprive our souls of the sustenance we need. When we thirst, we lose focus. It is hard to complete the tasks before us and it becomes almost impossible to catch a vision for the future that God has in store for us.
Thankfully, we are never prohibited to drink, spiritually speaking. Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John that, “On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink.” (John 7:37-39) What a wonderful gift God has given us. We do not have to worry about when or how the thirst of our souls will be quenched. We can turn to God, pray, study, worship and God will give a drink of “Living Water” that will satisfy our souls.
Rev. Keith King, Online Campus Pastor
