An Unbearable Thirst

Is it that I am not getting enough of Him, or that I moved far away from Him, so far that I cannot experience Him?

I am thirsty, yes, very thirsty for God. I don’t quite understand how I became so thirsty. Let me try and figure out below what happened.

The world failed to quench my thirst…

You know how it goes at the start of every year – we get all busy and worked up trying to get everything in order before the first month is over. Before we know it, February has come along, and because we are yet to catch up, we keep pushing on. This year I have learnt that pushing in the wrong direction, the world’s direction, takes me further and further away from God.

You would think I would have learnt this lesson by now, right?

I failed to quench my thirst

There is this phrase going around – “You are enough.” Sometimes I am tempted to believe that I am enough. I am old enough to figure out my profession without too much effort. I have been in this world long enough to know who to avoid and who to deal with. I know my strengths and weaknesses. When challenges come along, I know exactly what spiritual procedures to follow.

Wait – did I just say spiritual procedures? What happened to relationship? Relationship with God?

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (NIV)

So – I am the branch, and He is the vine. Does that mean if the vine does not send me water, I will wither and die? Yes!  I must stay connected to this vine at all times, otherwise my thirst will never be quenched!

Can I quench my spiritual thirst? No. Who do I turn to when I want to quench this unbearable thirst? God!

Psalm 63:1 “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” (NIV)

Only God can quench this thirst

I am sure you know how it feels when you are dying of thirst but there is nothing to drink within immediate reach. Your throat goes dry, you lose your voice, and every time you see an empty bottle you wish it had some water!

David wrote the words above when he was in a desert. You can imagine the heat, the dry throat, the fatigue and the grumblings from his men. David could easily have gotten up and trekked to a more comfortable place where there was water, but he didn’t. He recognized that the thirst he was feeling was spiritual. He needed God – his entire being longed for the Lord.

Many times when my heart and soul are crying out for God, I thirst for Him. Now I am not talking about those moments when I need Him to provide for me, protect me, or heal me – I am talking about that moment when I want to feel His presence, that moment of deep fellowship with Him. That is what I long for.

How I wish I could be more successful in blotting out the world and spending time with the Lord. How I long for the day when I will no longer feel like I can handle things on my own, shutting the Lord out in the process. How I wish that I would always remember how to recognize my thirst for God, and how to run into His presence as soon as I feel this thirst.

Are you thirsty for God today? Step into His presence and let Him talk to you. Read His word and savor His words of life, love, guidance, encouragement, and redemption, all written down for you. Let Him fill you up completely, and quench your thirst like nothing or nobody else can.

Hi, everyone! This week’s article was an eye-opener for me. I had no idea how easy it was to drift away from God until I realized how much I longed for His presence. I pray that you will also get to experience that longing for Him and that unbearable thirst for Him and that when you do, you will turn to Him to fill you and quench your thirst because He is the only one who can do so. Have a blessed week ahead!