Parched
I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. Psalm 143:6
The drought we are experiencing now reminded me of this timely devotion:
How’s your health? Are you drinking plenty of water? Are you thirsty? Do you even think about it? I would venture a guess that most of us do not even think about drinking until we feel thirsty and by then we are already dehydrated and sitting on the negative side of healthy.
According to health journals, it is recommended that men drink at least 15.5 cups of water a day and women should take in 12.5 cups. That sounds like a lot of water (that is minimal) especially if our work requires us to schedule breaks. If we are diligent, we will drink!
Our soul gets thirsty as well. We try to pass it off as being stressed, tired, bored or out of sorts. If we would just pause a moment and take a drink from God’s over-flowing fountain, we could be refreshed and filled. Unfortunately, we are too busy looking around the visible world searching for satisfaction or even distraction to think about that kind of thirst.
These things may provide relief for a short time but our spiritual thirst remains unquenched. How do you know when you’re spiritually parched? For me, when I have trouble remembering the last time I prayed, that is usually a good indication. If the little things in life easily become hotbeds, that tells me something. When my life looks like the picture above, I know I am in serious trouble. Think about it, you can probably easily identify your own symptoms.
Personally, I find water to be extremely boring; yet it has life-giving value. Water is something you can see and feel – tasteless and odorless – it serves a necessary purpose. It gives us life. Without it, we cannot survive for more than three of four days.
Our spiritual water is quite different because people can live an entire lifetime without taking a drink. (I would not want to experiment with that!) So, what is the big difference between our drinking water and our spiritual water? One is drunk by necessity and one by choice. One has no flavor while the other is sweet and almost addictive (but in a good way). Once the spiritual water has been tasted, our natural tendency is to want more and more. “Taste and see that the LORD is good…” (Psalm 34:8).
Here is my challenge to you: the next time you take a drink of water, envision yourself taking the cup from His extended hand; He’s offering you a drink from His eternal fountain. Thank Him for loving and taking care of you. He ultimately will satisfy your soul’s thirst!
Lord God Creator, continue to fill us to overflowing with living water, Your Holy Spirit. Please send us rain where it is so needed. In Jesus’ name, Amen.