Soda Thirsty

We've all experienced the dreaded stomach virus.  When I was a child, it seemed our family always suffered with a bout of it around Christmas time.  

One particular year our entire family was stricken with the stomach bug within hours of each other! 

My brother and I had bedrooms UPSTAIRS, and the only bathroom in the house was DOWNSTAIRS.

Before my dad was too incapacitated, he set up a cot in the living room for my brother, and I stayed on the couch.

It was nothing short of amazing that two or four of us didn't need to use the bathroom simultaneously.
At one point, I was coming back from the bathroom and just made it around the corner and literally flipped over the armrest onto the couch where I proceeded to stay with my legs dangling over the side, too weak to move.  I remember thinking, "Well, this is it.  Both my parents are sick in bed and I'm too weak to call for help."  LOL.

We all survived, and my mom and I ended up laughing about the fact that we couldn't handle the smell of the Christmas bayberry candle in the kitchen anymore because it reminded us of that fateful night.

There's something about the thirst you feel after a stomach virus that is so profound.  Made worse by the fact that you can't chug water because your stomach can't handle it yet.  My mom had the perfect remedy - ice chips!  I remember sucking on those chips and couldn't wait for the go-ahead to have some ginger-ale.  Soda was not something we normally had at our house, but for stomach bug recovery, it was the perfect way to satisfy the incredible thirst and calm a sour stomach.

I don't know what it is about soda.  Maybe because I rarely if ever have it, but even when I have a particularly salty meal that makes me very thirsty, I will say to my husband, "I am soda thirsty!" and will guzzle down whatever drink is available in the house.  LOL.

Merriam-Webster defines thirst as an uncomfortable feeling that is caused by the need for something to drink;  a very great need for something to drink

 I'd say that sums up physical thirst perfectly!

But we also experience thirst at an emotional level...

Merriam Webster defines emotional thirst as a strong desire for something...

Are you thirsty something?  What are you thirsting after?

When I first started to dabble in playing the piano, one of the hymns I could play somewhat okay was As the Deer.  The first stanza would always convict me.

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after thee

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship thee

I would ask myself, "Do I pant after God like a deer searching for water?"  "Does my soul long after Him?"  "Is Jesus my heart's desire?"  "Do I long to worship him?"

They say that what you think most about during the day is what your heart desires.  That which is on your mind first thing in the morning, throughout the day, and as you close your eyes to sleep...

Can I honestly say that the Lord is my first thought upon awakening or that thoughts of Him captivate my mind throughout the day or that Jesus is on my mind as I fall asleep?  To truly thirst after God, to be in true fellowship with Him, not seeking God for things, but seeking God for Him and Him alone. That my desire to be with the Lord would be so strong, I would forsake everything else, to drink at the Wellspring of Life.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

    for they will be filled.

Matthew 5:6

God promises us that when we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we WILL be filled!

Where does a Godly thirst come from?

Matthew Henry says in his commentary that "those who hunger and thirst after righteousness are happy. Righteousness is here put for all spiritual blessings. These are purchased for us by the righteousness of Christ, confirmed by the faithfulness of God. Our desires of spiritual blessings must be earnest.  Though all desires for grace are not grace, yet such a desire as this, is a desire of God's own raising, and he will not forsake the work of his own hands."

 The Benson Commentary says to, "Perseveringly desire universal holiness of heart and life, or deliverance from all sinful dispositions and practices, and a complete restoration of their souls to the image of God in which they were created: a just and beautiful description this of that fervent, constant, increasing, restless, and active desire; of that holy ardour and vehemence of soul in pursuit of the most eminent degrees of universal goodness which will end in complete satisfaction."

The Jamieson-Fausett-Brown commentary says "spiritual and entire conformity to the law of God, under the want of which the saints groan, and the possession of which constitutes the only true saintship."

How many times have I cried with Paul, "For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate."

But God... He has shown us how to walk in the very righteousness He has clothed us in

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness WILL BE FILLED!  

We hunger and thirst for God when we perseveringly desire to live Holy and set apart lives.

We hunger and thirst for God when our spirits groan within us to be freed from the bondage of besetting sins.

Like the salty food that made me soda thirsty, a steady diet of God's Word and fellowship with Him will season our hearts and increase our thirst for the Lord...

So that...

Our souls will long after God.

And...

He alone will be our heart's desire.   

Heavenly Father,

You have placed a strong desire within me to seek after you with my whole heart, and You have promised that I will find You.  I am already clothed in the righteousness of Christ.  My sins that once were scarlett have been washed white as snow by the blood of the Lamb.

Thank you for your patience with me, and for Your ever-present help.

You promise me that when I seek after righteousness, I will be filled.  You will not forsake the work of your hands.

Father I come to you asking for a thirst like that of a deer panting after water, for a soul that longs for you morning, noon and night, and a heart whose only desire is You, My Lord and My God.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

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