Thirsting for God
“O God, you are my God. It is you I seek! For You my body yearns, for You my soul thirsts, in a land parched, lifeless and without water.” Psalm 63:2.
My husband and I like to exercise together early in the morning before the sun comes up when it’s cool. We are power walkers. On a weekday day, we will cover 3 miles in just over 40 minutes. However, on the weekends, either Saturday or Sunday, we will walk about 6 miles, usually later in the morning.
Not long ago, while out on one of our long walks, it started to get very hot. The part of the path we were walking on had no trees to give us shade. It just so happened to be a very sunny day and on this particular morning, we also had no cloud cover. Halfway through our 6-mile walk, I began to struggle. The heat was intense, and I had not sufficiently drunk enough water before we left. I became extremely thirsty; parched! I suddenly had to stop and bend over to catch my breath. Of course, my husband was very worried especially since we didn’t bring any water with us and he couldn’t help me. We still had three miles to go before we got home, so there was nothing to do but keep going. The more we walked the thirstier I became. Every five minutes, I would stop, bend over, catch my breath, and almost pant because I was dehydrated. It was a desperate kind of thirst; my body was yearning for water, and it was all I could think about as we continued to walk. I made it home, by the grace of God, and drank almost a half-gallon of water.
I mentioned this story because today’s bible verse reminds me of that desperate thirst I experienced. “For you my soul thirsts, in a land parched, lifeless, and without water.” I was yearning for that water, and it consumed my entire body and soul.
I must admit that often I don't love God in this way. No matter how much I try to love God, on my own, I fall short. It is only with His grace that I can begin to love Him with this kind of yearning. It is only with His grace that I can truly say “Oh God, you are my God.” It is when I contemplate the sacrifice Jesus made by dying on the cross for me so that I am saved, that my heart is filled with an overwhelming thirst to love Him more each day. A thirst to serve Him with all that I am. A thirst to serve Him through serving those around me.
Today, let us reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross out of love for us. Let us seek God and be desperate for Him. Let us ask God for the grace to thirst for Him.
