Your Soul Thirsts For God
3 Liberating Implications of This Truth
“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. ”
In Psalm 63, David expressed his deep longing for God, realizing that no one or nothing else can fulfill him. Compared to God, all other things are like a dry land. I found myself looking for these moments where, I too would feel this deep longing for God. But yesterday, I realized that I constantly live in the reality of thirsting for God but don’t always recognize it. You do too. Understanding and living in the light of this truth is a game-changer.
We Are Always Thirsty
Did you know that when you feel hunger pangs you might actually be thirsty? Essentially, your body knows it needs something but due to mild dehydration, stress, boredom, etc., it gets confused and sends the wrong signals to your brain. Your brain then thinks you need food and makes your stomach growl when you simply need water. Fascinating, isn't it?
Consider how well this mimics our spiritual experience. Do you know that all our desires are pointing to our need for God? The deep longings of our hearts — longing for good relationships, security, belonging, acceptance, peace, happiness, and beauty — all of them point to our need for The Water of Life. We are constantly longing for him. Him for whom, by whom, and through whom we were created. Him in whom we move and have our beings. But due to sin and our fallenness, we misinterpret the signals. We go look for fulfillment in things that cannot satisfy.
Recognizing Our True Need
Don't get me wrong. It is good to enjoy the good things that God gifted us with in his good creation but only when we understand that they are meant to be enjoyed as a pointer to God and not as ultimate. It is the line between worshipping God and worshipping his creation.
Imagine if we could recognize every longing of our heart as a thirst for God, even when we don't feel it as such. What if you could say 'My soul thirsts for you Lord' when the pain of a failed relationship or rejection creeps in? In that moment, you may not feel a longing for God per se; you feel it for another person or thing. But recognizing that your spiritual compass is not correctly calibrated, you can know this indicates a longing for God. The love or joy you are wanting from that person or thing can only be found in God. You can readjust your perspective and say, ‘My soul is thirsting for you Lord’.
3 Liberating Implications
You are always thirsting for God. Understanding and living in the light of this truth is a game-changer. How?
1. If you are in Christ, you are guaranteed fulfillment. God promises that all our longings will be fulfilled in him one day. We don’t have to fear that he will fall short of his promises. He won’t. We can enjoy the foretaste now, and we will experience the fullness of it when Jesus returns and makes everything new. You may need to wait a couple of decades in Earth years (maybe less, maybe more) but it is nothing compared to an eternity spent drinking and eating from the fullness of God. You will know what true fulfillment is.
2. Therefore, you can hold everything loosely. You don’t have to hold on so tight to people or things. You learn not to see them as the source of fulfillment and your world will not be destroyed if you lose them. This ironically sets you free to love people better and enjoy God's good gifts. It is not stoicism or the Buddhist idea of Emptiness. This is freedom in Christ. You are free to mourn and grieve the very real pain of loss or failures or regrets but you are emboldened into Joy, knowing what God has prepared for those who love him.
3. You can joyfully live with a heart full of unfulfilled desires. So often, I have prayed that God would either fulfill a desire or take it away. I couldn't imagine living my entire life on earth, with this ache in my heart - always there and non-ignorable. But if I take hold of the truth, these desires are a reminder that my soul thirsts for the Lord. I could compare it to looking forward to that cold glass of water after a long hike or being excited to see a loved one after a long time apart. The pain of waiting is still there but it is filled with Hope, for the joy set before us.
“So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.”
May the God in whose presence is fullness of Joy and pleasures forevermore, give you the courage to love today. Amen.
