Playing in the Dirt: Devotions for Crazy Plant LadiesSample

Thirsty

Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water that I give him will never be thirsty again. But the water that I give him will become in him a spring of water [satisfying his thirst for God] welling up [continually flowing, bubbling within him] to eternal life.”

JOHN 4:13–14 AMP

It’s easy to tell when a plant is thirsty. We can feel its soil dry out. We can see its leaves begin to wilt and shrivel. We know it needs water to revive.

We can also tell when our human bodies are thirsty. Our tongue feels heavy, and our throats feel scratchy. We might even experience lightheadedness. We know we need to hydrate to avoid becoming ill.

It’s not always so apparent when our souls are thirsty. Worse, we tend to minimize the consequences of not quenching this thirst. We have a sense of feeling depleted but explain it away as just another busy week.

We lose patience with others and assume it’s because of their actions. We think we need a break, for life to slow down. What we need instead is the Giver of Life itself.

Our souls are not quenched by liquid water or any other material thing. The emptiness we feel, the brokenness of our character, and the weariness of our hearts can only be made whole by God. Only His living water can quench our soul’s thirst.

We receive living water when we ask God to come into our lives. The moment we do this, our souls are saved for eternity, but that doesn’t mean we’ll never have to seek God again. It’s all too easy for us to forget the source of our soul’s refreshment and run ourselves dry. When we try to draw from other wells, we will find ourselves searching deeper and deeper, and we will always come up empty.

Only Christ’s living water truly satisfies our souls.

God, I know that You are the only satisfaction for my thirsty, weary soul. Forgive me when I turn to other things for the refreshment and healing that only You can provide.