READ Psalm 143
I don’t know if I could say that I’ve ever been truly thirsty.
I’ve never lived the scene from every stranded-in-the-desert movie I’ve ever seen where the guy with the chapped lips squeezes his canteen (it’s usually canvas) for every ounce of water it’s worth only to mostly miss his mouth, weakly collapse in the sand, and succumb to despair.
Of course, I’ve been parched. And every now again, I really want a drink of water. There have even been times when I’ve been dehydrated. But no dizzy spell or dry mouth of mine has ever gone un-addressed for longer than was comfortable. I’ve always been able to ‘obey my thirst.’
And, all kidding aside, that’s actually a huge blessing, because water is 100% necessary. It would seem that thirst, like any other need, is a really bad thing. Grave, even.
Here is how David speaks of his soul’s thirst in Psalm 143.
My spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands. I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
David approaches the point of spiritual collapse. He thirsts for God, and, despite having an amazing track record, it seems that he’s pretty much MIA. You can almost hear David’s desperation, eyes searching the skies. Where are you? I can’t believe I’m at this point and I have yet to see you do your thing. You were mighty for Moses and Abraham, and you’ve always shown my people such mercy. Do you see me? I’m dying here.
But there’s an up-side to such thirst. Despite our natural inclinations, these longings can be a good thing.
Here’s Jesus’ teaching on thirst, which has a much more hopeful tone (from Matthew 5):
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
In our thirst for righteousness and all it entails – purity, justice, holiness, salvation, redemption – we actually find satisfaction. It’s not the satisfaction of having all those things completely fulfilled on the spot. Rather, it’s the satisfaction of knowing God more deeply, walking with him more closely, and depending on him more fully.
God invites us to commune with him by bringing our thirsts to him. What does he do with them? He satisfies them all with the gift of his Spirit (Lk. 11:13). In all our longings, big and small, we can be sure that God hears us, knows our needs, and satisfies all our thirst.
But we have to be thirsty. We have to be humble enough to come to God as desperate as the stranded-in-the-desert guy. I easily tend toward self-reliance, trying to satisfying my thirst all by myself with whatever I think I need. If you can relate, hear God’s word to us in the mouth of the prodigal’s father (Lk. 15:31)… speaking to the son who was too proud to realize he was actually still thirsty, even after all his striving.
Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours
Are you thirsty? Do you know what your deepest longings are? Only once we do the often-painful work of becoming acquainted with our thirsts can we have the privilege of finding true satisfaction in God. We have a good Father who will not let our thirst be wasted. On the contrary, thirst is actually the vehicle he uses to satisfy us.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m bad at pressing in here. Thirst doesn’t initially seem like a blessing, and it’s easier to ignore my it and focus on other things. I can distract myself with entertainment. Or I can compare my own thirsts to the “worse” thirsts of people in “worse” situations. Or, perhaps less obvious, rather than allowing my thirst to drive me to Christ, I can dismiss my present longings too quickly by trying to focus on heaven instead of my thirst. The difference here is subtle, but when I skim over my thirsts, I miss out on the present satisfaction of Christ’s Spirit working within me, leading me to long for Him.
So, as David did, feel the weight of your needs and cry out to God for redemption. Bring him your thirsty soul and collapse before him. When you do, you’ll be blessed by the present satisfaction of His Spirit’s presence within you… leading you to hope in – and thirst for – the future coming of His Son (Rom 8:23).
-- Jonathan Lenning