Are You Thirsty? (By Dan Adams)
Recently, I’ve been acutely aware of my need and thirst for water. A glass of water is something I usually take for granted. However, some of my trips this summer have given me a new perspective.
This past July, while in Haiti, that’s basically all we had to drink. And I drank A LOT of it – between 2 and 3 gallons a day. Because of the heat, always somewhere around 100 degrees, I was constantly sweating, and consequently, always thirsty. But if you know anything about Haiti, you know that clean water is scarce. Although it’s a country surrounded by water, it’s challenging to find water that isn’t polluted or diseased. To protect ourselves from Malaria, Dengue Fever, and Cholera, we had to make sure we got our water from a clean source. Additionally, we had to keep it in a sealed container, lest it become contaminated. When I think back on Haiti, I remember being thirsty, and nothing would quench like a full bottle of water.
In August, I took another trip to the glacial lakes of Algonquin, Canada. It was an amazing trip. Although we enjoyed so much of God’s beautiful creation, we worked hard, canoeing, backpacking, and portaging more than 80 kilometers (50 miles). It was a workout. Even though we were always by or on the lakes and streams, I often found myself parched. As tempting as it was to dip a sip right from the lake, I had to refrain. Instead, our group of 23, had to filter or boil every ounce of water we drank or cooked with, for the entire week, to avoid getting sick.
As I think back over my summer, I have fond memories. One very strong and reoccurring memory is that of always being thirsty. This has been a continual reminder to me of why God uses thirst as a powerful metaphor for how we ought to desire Him above all earthly things.
- O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water (Psalm 63:1).
- As the deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God (Psalm 42:1-2).
- Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I give him will become in him a springs of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14).
I can’t help but think of all the times that my soul has been thirsty, parched, dry as a bone, and I’ve foolishly tried to quench it with the things of this world. May our souls thirst for Christ alone, our Living Water.
Are you thirsty? What are you thirsty for? Only Christ will truly satisfy.