Thirst for Jesus

Psalms 63:1-2 O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.

What a powerful couple of verses in this Psalm. It is believed that David wrote this as a result of his son Absalom's rebellion against him. The betrayal of family and friends is not a strange thing in this world. Many have been forsaken and betrayed by those closest to them. In his despair, however, we do not read that King David sought the comfort and acceptance of those who betrayed him. No, instead he expresses an overwhelming desire to be in God's presence; to be in intimate fellowship with God Almighty. How much do we truly desire an intimate relationship with the Lord? Do we seek Him only when those closest to us fail us? Do we seek Him only when the world turns against us? David refers to God in two different ways. He first uses Elohim, the plural Name of God, used in Genesis 1. In the second, he uses El, meaning strength or power. It is in our most depressing moments, in the midst of trying times, that God is our strength. We will never find what our soul and spirit need, in this world. The thirst that is described here is a thirst that can only be quenched by Jesus, our Living Water. This world is a "dry and thirsty land". If we seek to find relief in others, or the things this world offers, we will never satisfy the thirst that exists in us all. King David sought God early in the morning. In other words, the Lord was the priority of his life. How often do we value others more than God? How often do we put others before God, only to be painfully disappointed when they fail us or betray us? We may say that God is our priority, but if He truly is, it will be reflected on who or what we seek first thing in the morning. If God is the One we thirst after, it will be reflected in how much time we give Him in prayer, and the reading and studying of His Word. Far too many of us are walking around spiritually anemic and dying of thirst. We need to stop wandering around this barren land, and satisfy our thirst in the One who told the Samaritan woman that He could give her the kind of Water that would cause her to thirst no more. Stop seeking the world, and the affections of people who so easily turn their backs on us, and seek intimacy with the One who is our power and strength, and who promised that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. Like David, we need to have an overwhelming desire, not just to see His power and glory, but to see HIM as a result of seeing His power and glory. If we thirst, let us thirst for Jesus.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).