Day 4 — When God Makes You Thirsty

You’ve heard the saying: “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” The same is true of us. God won’t force us to be satisfied in Him. But He does awaken thirst, stirring something deeper than what we would ever choose on our own.

I remember sitting at my kitchen bar years ago, questioning a decision that seemed impossible: adopting a sibling set of four. With four children already at home, even our closest friends expressed that it was a terrible idea. Honestly, I couldn’t disagree. We didn’t have enough space, enough forks, or enough strength for such a leap.

And yet, God wouldn’t let the idea go. I remember praying: “Lord, You and I both know I didn’t get here on my own. How did I get here?” The answer was clear: God was making me thirsty. He was calling me out of my selfishness and into His plan.

That’s what He does. He awakens desires we would never manufacture on our own. That’s how ordinary people like Gladys Aylward, a housemaid who failed language school, end up rescuing hundreds of orphans in China. Or how Ann Hasseltine Judson left everything familiar to serve as one of America’s first missionaries, knowing her life would likely be cut short.

No one volunteers for sacrifice and suffering out of sheer willpower. God makes us thirsty for Himself—and in that thirst, we find satisfaction beyond what we thought possible.

The secret of Christian living is not that we conjure up desire for God. It’s that He stirs it. He awakens hunger. He creates thirst. And when we respond, He fills us to overflowing.

God awakens thirst we would never choose, so He can fill us with what only He can give.

Drink Deep

Where do you sense God making you thirsty—nudging you beyond comfort, asking you to surrender something selfish? Instead of resisting, acknowledge the thirst. Ask Him to satisfy you with more of Himself as you obey.