I Thirst

As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. Psalm 42:1

Summertime is fast approaching and once again I have decided that it is time for me to do some work in the gym.  I need to tone up my arms and abs, not necessarily trying to lose weight but I just need to tone up  a little bit.  In the same way I recognize my need to tone up physically, I also recognize my need to draw closer to the Lord, and tone up spiritually.  I cannot survive simply on the Word that is stored in my heart.  It will sustain me during trying times.  But the Word of God is like a buried treasure.  There are many things to be discovered.  Verses that may have meant one thing to me at one point in my life now take on a different meaning.  I have learned over time that the Word of God is addictive.  The more you read it, the more you want to know more about it.

We all go through dry periods in our life.  The streams of water expressed by the Psalmist in this verse are those that are found while in the valley. When we are faced with a period of drought in our lives our only consolation is to look upward to our Heavenly Father for refreshing, rejuvenation.  He is our hope.  We cannot afford to rely on our own strength.  If we do, we fail.  God desires to fill our every longing.  Too often we look to things that can only give us temporary satisfaction.  Life can be draining and spiritual dehydration can occur all too easily.  We become more focused on the problem than on God, who can solve all our problems.  He is, after all, a Burden Bearer and a Heavy load Sharer.  Physical thirst can be excruciating and dangerous.  I have had to watch my daughter, hooked up to an IV to pump fluids into her body because she was dehydrated.  How I longed to be able to do something for her to take away the pain.  Thank God that we don't have to get to the point of dehydration.  We serve a God who is accessible.  He is available. He is Almighty.  We only need to cry out to him and desire Him with our whole heart.  Imagine being submerged under water with no way to come up for air.  The desire that you have at that very moment for air is the desire you should have to know God.  He wants to fill you up until you overflow. 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

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.  I realize that there is no one and nothing that can truly meet my needs.  I pray today for consistency.  Let this not be a temporary desire but one that grows every day.  Help me to prioritize my life so that I have more than enough time to spend with You.  I want to stay in Your presence.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen.