Spring
1993
If Any Man
Thirst
Donald Evans
"In the last day, that great day of the feast,
Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst,
let him come unto Me, and drink" John 7:37.
This craving of the human body for water, called "thirst"
describes an ardent, eager, famishing desire. We cannot live
without water, thus the Lord uses thirst to relate to us His
desire for us to yearn after Him.
"O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek thee;
my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for
Thee in a dry and thirsty land" Psalm 63:1.
When the Lord said, "let him come unto Me, and drink,"
it was more than just a request or suggestion. For those who
truly desire Him, it becomes an ultimatum: "Thirst for
Me, for unless you crave Me with a thirst in your spirit,
you do not have the capacity to contain Me." This is
not an option to the Christian. If we are going to press into
the Lord, it is a mandatory requirement, a matter of life
and death, spiritually.
What motivated you this morning? Is your interest in the
things of God a mere casual concern? Are you thirsty?
If our needs are simply material, emotional, or physical,
then an emotional surge once or twice a week will satisfy.
But without thirst there is no desire to press on, or to go
deeper, and our spirituality will remain shallow.
Some have limited the Lord by the traditions they accept.
Those who stand within such boundaries declare, "This
is as far as I will go. This is all that my tradition teaches
me."
The Lord desires to break down the limitations that men have
placed upon His Spirit, as to how and when He will move. He
desires a people who will go beyond the boundaries that have
been set, for there is a call in the Body of Christ that shall
not be quenched. The Lord is looking for individuals who will
press beyond the known limits, into the realm of glory.
We cannot come to the Lord by following the crowd; nor can
we come on the basis of who we are. We can come to the Lord
only through desperate desire. This ache within, this deep
desire to partake of His life, cannot be satisfied with any
one experience. If we listen to our spirit and are open to
the Lord, we will hear Him cry, "Come."
Come! O hungry heart, The Lord created that desire within
you. HE longs for you to come, that HE might satisfy you with
Himself.
O thirsting soul, if you will push through all that is earthly
and respond, everything you have worked for, everything you
have longed for, everything you have desired in your life,
you will find it - in Him!