Nudgings #58 - Sept. 5, "Are You Thirsty?"
September 05, 2024
Are You Thirsty?
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. (Psalm 42:1-2, NIV)
Are you thirsty? In 1985, I went on a college choir tour to Europe in the month of July. The weather was hot and humid and all of us in the choir were a sweaty mess—and constantly thirsty. The director kept warning us, "Don't drink the public water!" because it wasn't safe. Disposable water bottles weren’t common yet (it was the '80s) and clean water was hard to come by. We had to rely on purified water from the markets and restaurants that we encountered while touring by bus. Between that, and the relentless heat,… I was really thirsty.
Eventually, my thirst won out. At one point in the trip, we were in a small shopping mall in Germany and I went into the public restroom, turned on the sink, and let the water run for a while. It looked fine. I cupped my hands under the flow, and took a long drink. It tasted great, and my thirst was quenched,… for the moment.
After the trip, I returned home to Idaho with a camera full of photos, lots of great memories, and a sick stomach—I was losing weight, dealing with diarrhea, and felt lousy. I tried to wait it out, hoping it would go away, but it didn't. Eventually, my parents insisted I see a doctor. After a thorough examination and a blood test, nothing unusual showed up. The doctor was stumped. He asked, “Have you been camping recently? Is there any chance you might have come into contact with contaminated water?”
I thought for a moment, and then it hit me—Germany! I told him that I had gotten really thirsty and drank from a public faucet in a German shopping mall. The doctor immediately diagnosed me with Giardia, prescribed some medicine, and within a few weeks, I was cured.
Are you thirsty? Of course you are—we all are. But it’s a thirst that water can’t quench. It’s an empty longing we often try to satisfy with binge-watching, endless scrolling, late-night snacks, an extra scoop of ice cream, impulse buying, and lots of other things that are much more costly and damaging than Giardia. The “mall” of the world looks good to our thirsty hearts and minds, but offers up “bad” water—leaving us sick and unsatisfied.
But there is hope and help for our parched souls, and his name is Jesus.
Jesus said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. …whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life. … Come! Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” (John 7:37; John 4:14; Rev. 22:17, NIV)
Jesus is the answer to our deepest thirst. He isn’t just a temporary fix—He’s the source that truly satisfies. In Him, we find the abundant life we crave. Don’t settle for anything less. Drink deeply from His well of goodness, grace, and love today.
Are you thirsty?… Look to Jesus.