Water for Your ThirstSample

God's Water

Water is one of the most precious treasures we have. Without it, we die—it’s as simple as that. We need it to live. It’s truly a gift from heaven, and we should always be thankful for it. When we have it, it feels so normal that most of the time we don’t even notice we’re benefiting from it. But when we don’t have it, we panic because, wow, do we miss it!

The Bible is full of references to this precious liquid. Sometimes, it talks about droughts that happened because the Lord willed it. That was the case for the people who returned from captivity in Babylon to Jerusalem. In Haggai 1:9-10 (NIV), it says, “’You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?’ declares the LORD Almighty. ‘Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. Therefore, because of you, the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.’” In other cases, the Bible mentions better times—times of abundance—when God sent rain as a sign of his blessing. Deuteronomy 28:12 (NIV) says, “The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands.”

If we shift from talking about physical rain and drought to the droughts of the soul, we'll realize that everyone has experienced both. We have times when refreshing, peaceful waters of blessing overflow and flow in our lives, and other times when our souls are very thirsty. The psalmist expressed this in Psalm 63:1 (NIV) when he said, "My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water."

Since we are children of the Most High God, whether it’s a time of blessing or a time of trial, with abundant water or a desert, God is with us. Isaiah 58:11 (NIV) says, “The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” That’s right, my friends, the Lord is our good shepherd, and his great love provides what our soul needs.

Let’s rejoice in the times of abundant water, blessings, and plenty. But on the other hand, when we feel like we're in the middle of a desert, let's remember that there is someone who gives us courage, new strength, and shepherds us. Isaiah 41:18 (NIV) promises, "I will open up rivers on the barren heights, and springs in the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs."