Thirst, Come, Drink

Today's Reading: 2 Kings 23:24-25

Scripture:

"Now on the last day, the great day of the feat, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink." John 3:37

Observation:

Thirsty, come and drink; these three words summarize the basic elements of God's invitation to man.

Application:

First, I must recognize what is missing from my life. That is the application of thirst in from this verse. If I put on false fronts and ignore the longings I feel on the inside then I will always be thirsty. I have to move to a place where I allow my needs to become real to me.

Second, I must come to God with my needs. This is the tricky part because the need does not always feel "religious". Sometimes the need is discontentment. Sometimes the need is boredom. Sometimes the need is wisdom. Sometimes the need is practical daily survival. Seldom does the needy surface as a need to be holy. A part of my maturing in my faith is arriving at a place where I recognize that the satisfaction of ALL my needs ultimately are found in relationship with my Father.

Finally, I must drink. Drinking what He gives me is flippin tough because He does not always give me what I want. God is not some mystical genie in the sky who sits poised waiting to grant all my wishes. To drink what He offers often requires that I abandon what are my felt needs and pursue His purpose for my life. To drink what He often means that I understand what I "feel" is not what I need. To drink what He offers means that I lose my world and accept His.

Prayer:

Thirsty I get. Come to You I sort of get. Drink; I mess this one up often. As I sit with You this morning I am convicted of my independence from You. I do not come to You for everything and more often than not I struggle against what You ask me to do.

Your will for me is counter intuitive to me. It works against my deepest desires, longings, and instincts. The crazy part of this struggle between us is that my life to this point has clearly proven my logic does not work, yet; I still want to follow it when You lead me away from it. That is just dumb.

Help me help my stupid self. My thinking is broken, but it is familiar. My plans are short-sighted, but they meet my immediate needs. My voice lacks power, but it is the loudest one in my head. I ask today that You help me walk in the power that You have already provided for me to overcome these things. I ask for Your wisdom, Your plans, and Your voice to be the guiding factors in my daily life.