My Soul Thirsts For You

 By: Joanne Viola

In the stillness of the night, we can become so aware of our great need of God to calm our fears, to still our hearts and minds with peace. We sleep and wait for the sun to rise knowing it holds coffee to quench our physical thirst, and a quiet time with God’s Word to quench our greater spiritual thirst.

Our thirst for God ebbs and flows throughout our lives, at times greater than other times yet always there.

“O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;
My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
In a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
(Psalm 63:1, NASB)

When David wrote this psalm, he was in a dry and weary land where no water could be found. While he may have been physically experiencing dehydration, he was also spiritually longing for God.

His desert experience caused him to learn he could no more live without a vibrant walk with God any more than he could go without a drink of water.

His physical thirst heightened his awareness of his spiritual thirst.

Upon once having a vision of Jesus, Julian of Norwich wrote:

“For he still has the same thirst and longing which he had upon the Cross, which desire, longing and thirst, as I see it, were in him from without beginning; and he will have this until the time that the last soul which will be saved has come up into his bliss. God’s thirst is to have [us], generally drawn into him …”

(from 4–Day Journey with Julian of Norwich, Lisa E. Dahill, Editor, page 36)

Can we even imagine – God thirsts for us. The thought has brought to mind 2 Peter 3:9:

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness,
but is patient toward you,
not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
(NASB)

God longs for people, He thirsts for all to come to salvation., and He pains over those yet lost. Such a beautiful image of the deep love of God for people.

Christ continually pursues and draws us to Himself, the source of living water, the One who can quench our thirst and satisfy the longings of our heart.

“But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst;
but the water that I will give him will become in him
a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
(John 4:14, NASB)

 

Reflection:

What does it mean to you that God thirsts for you to come? What do you need to do (or change) to carve out time to seek Him?

 

Image by Anja from Pixabay