SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1039

“Well Hydrated”

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1)

The heat index in the summer in Florida can be dangerous. Heat stroke is a very real possibility when working outdoors and one must be careful to remain well hydrated. If you feel parched and faint you have let it go too far and you must take immediate measures to rest and refresh yourself.

I experienced such thirst recently and a few sips of water are not what I desired. I was reminded of an iced tea commercial where people are so refreshed by the beverage that it was like plunging into and being immersed in cool clean refreshing water. Then the Lord spoke to my heart: ‘Do you thirst for Me as much as you thirst for water?’

…Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 7:37; John 4:14)

Let’s unpack Psalm 63:1.

O God, you are my God; This indicates a personal relationship. God is not a distant deity who is not to be bothered except in times of dire need. He is my Father. He is my Savior. He is my closest friend. “I am the Lord your God…You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:2-3)

earnestly I seek you; We need to seek Him with sincere and intense conviction. From our waking moment, throughout the day and into the evening we should know and experience His abiding presence. For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. (Psalm 84:10)

my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you… This is not a sipping thirst. This cannot be satisfied by sipping in a Sunday church service and maybe another sip during the week. This spiritual thirst requires a continual immersion in the abiding presence of God. As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. (Psalm 42:1-2)

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. We live in a spiritually dry and weary society. False teaching abounds which is like brackish spiritual water that will make your soul ill.

Our lust for the things of this world – The chasing after the good life – becomes a priority and interferes with our personal relationship with God. We become temporarily satisfied with material things that leave us thirstier than we were before.

May you be well hydrated with the Living Water of our Lord Jesus.

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. (Revelation 22:17)