Most of us know what it’s like to be thirsty. Perhaps you are a runner, and you’ve sprinted a long distance; the first thing you crave is water. Or maybe you’ve just eaten a salty meal; your body longs for fluid.
Thirst is especially noticeable in hot, dry climates – like the climate of the land in which the Bible was written.
But did you ever think of your soul as being thirsty?
David did. He wrote Psalm 63 when he was in the desert of Judah, having been forced into the wilderness by his son Absalom. Consider the first verse of Psalm 63:
O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water. (NIV)
David found himself in a desert place, not only geographically, but figuratively, too. His spirit was parched from the persecution he was facing.
Our own spirits can be parched and dry from persecution, but for us, that thirst is more likely to come forth because we have failed to drink deeply of the Water of Life. Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well, “those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life” (John 4.14, NLT).
What are you doing to keep your soul from being thirsty? Read the Scriptures and pray daily. Engage in a spiritual discipline – maybe one you haven’t tried before. Read good Christian literature. Listen to Christian music that inspires you. Then, your soul will not thirst for God, nor your body long for him, because you will be filled to overflowing with his Spirit, and ready to share it with others.
Don’t let your spirit go dry; don’t let your fire get cold! Nurture your soul daily. God knows what he may do with you as you do!
