When you’re thirsty, you’ll drink almost anything. But not everything satisfies your thirst.
Maybe you’ve been in the desert a long time. Longer than you care to remember. You’ve wandered here and there, searching. And now you’re not sure where you are or how you’ll ever find you’re way back.
Perhaps your bed is only half full. Maybe your company outsourced your job. Or was it that doctor’s report? As soon as he said those words—“There’s nothing we can do.”—hope disappeared. You went in for a check-up and he told you to get ready to check out. But you weren’t ready then and you’re still not prepared. You don’t have the will to go on, but you know you shouldn’t give up.
At first you were hurt. Then, anger baked your heart until it became dry and cracked. Joy evaporated. And left you thirstier than ever.
Our souls can become so parched that we forget what it’s like to taste anything other than dust. It doesn’t take long to become dehydrated. The struggle to continue can leave us exhausted. We become confused, disoriented. In time, we’ll die. Maybe just fifty feet from what could save us.
That’s what happened to one woman. She went jogging in the desert early one morning with some friends. Somehow she lagged behind; they didn’t know what happened. Alone, incoherent, she stumbled along until she couldn’t go any farther. Someone found her body—in a ditch fifty feet from a house with all the water she needed.
We could condemn her companions. We could blame the homeowners for not helping. Maybe they weren’t home. We don’t know why her friends didn’t realize what happened. And we can’t be certain the woman herself didn’t make some poor choices that put her at risk. But blaming someone—anyone—afterward won’t change anything.
It doesn’t matter why you’re thirsty. What’s important is that you drink. But you can’t gulp just anything. Sodas won’t satisfy. Coffee won’t quench. What you need is water. And sometimes you need someone else to get it for you.
Jesus asked for a drink and gave a woman more than she asked for. He will do the same for you. He’s the original thirst quencher.
Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.
