Thirsty

Psalms 63:1 NLT O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.

Did you know there are actual stages of thirst? Stage one (what most of us mean when we say we are thirsty) is characterized by a slight dry mouth/throat with slight fatigue. Stage two includes tiredness, headaches, dizziness, and irritability. While the symptoms of stage three, considered extreme thirst, include confusion, exhaustion, and cold hands/feet, with unstable blood pressure and pulse. Now reread Psalm 63:1 and see the advancing stages of thirst.

We go days without seeking God and then attend church to soothe our conscience or believe we’ve done God a great favor. We don’t come with a burning, blistering, “my whole body longs for you” thirst. King David used a vivid comparison in Psalm 42:1, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” The Hebrew word used for pant is āraḡ and carries the meaning to cry out or long for something as a last resort. It is the cry of someone who says, "Lord, I have tried every other path to find satisfaction; I have nowhere else to turn.” And in his loving kindness, God responds, “For I satisfy the longing soul, and the hungry soul I will fill with good things” (Psalm 107:9). It’s not your job to persuade God to fill you, to quench your thirst. He wants to! It’s not because God somehow has neglected you, but possibly you are still looking to other sources for what only God can provide.

Jeremiah 2:13 confronts us: “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” We are created to need living waters to live, and it’s not just that our soul needs living water or we’ll die of spiritual thirst; it’s that we’re dying of thirst because we drink from alternative wells, chugging down stagnant instead of fresh, living waters. Saltwater looks and feels like fresh water, but if you drink it for any length of time, it kills you. A person could be stranded in the middle of the ocean, floating atop a gazillion gallons of water, and still die of thirst. The more you drink saltwater, the thirstier you get. Is there any better picture of drinking from a broken cistern? What our soul thirsts for is Christ and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

Like the physical body, the soul can’t go very long without water. Everyone gets thirsty, and it is experienced in various forms: insecurity, unforgiveness, loneliness, hopelessness, emptiness, boredom, dissatisfaction, worry, anxiety, and so on. Our souls are constantly crying out for something to drink. But when we feel the thirst of rejection, emptiness, or loneliness, do we turn to the Lord, waiting upon Him, or run to false sources that can never satisfy? Too often, though we have living water (the Holy Spirit) within us, we satisfy our thirsts in the same ways as the world. We rack up mounds of debt rather than waiting on God our provider. We strive for men’s approval and identity, rather than drawing from the one who created us and gave us purpose and direction. When you clear everything else away, at the core of our dissatisfaction and thirst is this: we are not filled and do not walk with, or drink from, the Holy Spirit, God’s well of living water, in the way He intended.

Tired of emptiness? Whatever you are thirsting for, turn to the only one that can satisfy, drink from His wells, and see your life transformed. There is an open invitation: “Listen! Are you thirsty for more? Come to the refreshing waters and drink.” (Isaiah 55:1).

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Gary and Sandy Anthony

Psalms 107:9 NASB For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.

John 6:35 NASB Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.

Psalms 107:5-6 NASB They were hungry and thirsty; Their soul fainted within them. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses.

John 4:13-14 NASB Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.

Revelation 7:16-17 NLT They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.

Isaiah 5:12-13 TPT Their lavish parties are complete with the music of harps and flutes—and the wine flows! Yet they have no respect for what the Lord has done, nor do they contemplate the work of his hands! Therefore, my people go into exile for lack of understanding. Their leaders are starving, their multitudes parched with thirst.

Psalms 107:5-6 NASB They were hungry and thirsty; Their soul fainted within them. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses.

Isaiah 49:9-10 NLT I will say to the prisoners, Come out in freedom, and to those in darkness, Come into the light. They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures and on hills that were previously bare. They will neither hunger nor thirst. The searing sun will not reach them anymore. For the Lord in his mercy will lead them; he will lead them beside cool waters.

Isaiah 41:17-20 NLT When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the Lord, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them. I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus. I will give them fountains of water in the valleys. I will fill the desert with pools of water. Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground. I will plant trees in the barren desert— cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, cypress, fir, and pine. I am doing this so all who see this miracle will understand what it means— that it is the Lord who has done this, the Holy One of Israel who created it.

Nehemiah 9:15 NASB You provided bread from heaven for them for their hunger, You brought forth water from a rock for them for their thirst, And You told them to enter in order to possess The land which You swore to give them.

Psalms 63:1-4 NLT O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy.

Isaiah 55:1 TPT Listen! Are you thirsty for more? Come to the refreshing waters and drink. Even if you have no money, come, buy, and eat.