For many of us, the summer heat has settled in with a vengeance, and we are constantly being reminded to drink more water. Take a bottle with you. Refill your glass. Don’t wait until you feel thirsty. Stay hydrated.
We know how quickly the heat can pull moisture from our bodies, sometimes before we even realize what is happening. By the time we feel intensely thirsty, our bodies may already be telling us that something is depleted.
The same can be true spiritually.
The demands of life, prolonged stress, disappointment, busyness, caregiving, ministry, and simply carrying the weight of our days can slowly drain our spiritual reserves. We keep moving, keep serving, keep handling what is in front of us, and may not recognize how thirsty our spirits have become.
But spiritual thirst is not merely a warning that something is wrong. It can also be an invitation. The longing within us can turn us toward the One who is living water, the One who does not simply give us enough strength to keep going but gives us Himself.
Listen with your spirit to the Word of God and be blessed with the passionate cry of the psalmist in Psalm 63:1. “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you.” And in Psalm 42:1: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.”
Spirit, be blessed to live from that deep cry of seeking God in your innermost being, longing for more of Him, digging in to know Him more intimately. Your Father desires constant communion with you spirit to Spirit. Be blessed with directing the thirst of your soul to communion with Him. Be blessed with getting out of your head and into your spirit, meeting God personally and profoundly.
Be blessed to know that God is who He says He is, and He can and will do what He says He can and will do. He is the I Am to do it in you today. He is personal and powerful, and He alone satisfies. Jesus is standing and knocking, waiting for you to open up to Him for satisfying fellowship (Rev 3:20). Jesus invites you to a table set for two. He wants your love, and He will be satisfied when you fulfill His heart by opening up to Him.
Spirit, be blessed with knowing your covenant-keeping God of promise as you seek Him and keep company with Him in Spirit and in truth. Be blessed to discover Him more as His Spirit lives in you to fulfill your deepest cries. Be blessed to encounter Him in such dimensions that you feel as if you have never breathed spiritually before. Be blessed in His name: Rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him (Heb 11:6).
In these hot summer days, we are learning again to pay attention to our physical thirst. Perhaps we need the same attentiveness to our spirits.
Where are you dry? Where have the demands of life depleted you? Where is your spirit longing for more of God? Do not ignore the thirst. Let it draw you toward Him.
Come thirsty. Come weary. Come aware of your need. You do not have to manufacture spiritual strength or replenish yourself from your own reserves. Jesus is still the living water. Your Father is still inviting you into communion with Him. His Spirit is still present within you, ready to meet the deepest cries of your spirit.
Drink deeply of His presence today. May you discover again that His presence is not merely where you are refreshed. His presence is where you were created to live.
Blessing taken from You Are Blessed In The Names Of God. pg. 117.
