Thirst

“Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.” Genesis 21:19 (NIV)

Desperately, with nothing and no-one, yet sovereignly led to the desert, I found His love. Finally, refusing to turn to other things, and realizing I didn’t need to turn to other things, I turned to Him and found out He was all that I needed.

I learned to “see the well in the desert”, like Hagar, and learned to drink from the well. My eyes were opened to see Him (Job 42:5). The Desert is where I learned to quench my thirst from the Well where I would never thirst again.

The journey of purity has been a process of examining the needs in my heart that I have tried to fill in my own way, and identifying which are spiritual needs, only able to be met by God.

Humans are both spiritual and physical beings, and just as we have physical needs that must be filled by physical things (shelter, food, friendships, etc.), we have spiritual needs that can only be truly filled by the things of God (His continuous love, true satisfaction in Him, etc.). If we “dig our own wells” to fill our spiritual needs in a physical way apart from God, we will find they are unable to hold water, and we will find ourselves continuously thirsting (Jeremiah 2:13).

Once we experience God satisfying our spiritual needs and learn to live in contentment in every season of life, we can also enjoy the physical blessings He gives us. If I fail to put spiritual needs above my physical needs I will find myself constantly thirsty and insatiable. Those closest to me will feel frustrated and drained because I will look to them to satisfy me when they were never designed to be able to. That is a place for God alone.

We are invited to be a people who never thirst again. We are invited to drink from Him, the spring of living water.

Talk with Jesus

As you read today’s verses, bring these questions to Jesus and talk with Him about them.

• Show me the needs in my heart that I have tried to fill in my own way, and identify which are spiritual needs, only able to be met in You.
• Show me where in my life I have “dug wells that cannot hold water” - where I have looked to other things to quench my thirst.
• Show me what it looks like for me to turn back to You, the Spring of Living Water for these needs.

Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to see You. I want to drink from You, the spring of living water and never thirst again. Whatever it takes, would You show me what this means?