Are you thirsty and in need of refreshment? Is the hot sun or are the details of the day beating down on you? Have you been working hard or just been so busy you haven’t stopped to hydrate?
I can tell if I’ve gone too long without stopping for a sip of water. I don’t do it on purpose. When I move from one activity to the next, I don’t notice the need until my system cries out in protest craving something to refresh. Does that happen to you?
Does a simple glass satisfy or do you find yourself in search of something to stay with you to quench a deeper thirst?
When parched
If I’m really thirsty, a glass of water just won’t cut it. A piece of fruit satisfies and refreshes more fully when I’m parched. How about you?
Satisfy thirst more deeply
When I was a kid, I used to eat grapefruit a lot. I even have one of those spoons that thinks it’s a knife with the serrated edge to cut the citrusy goodness out of the confines of the shell. It’s a lot of work to eat a grapefruit that way, painstakingly cutting around each individual section to loosen the pulp and free it from the three walls that hold it in place. But each juicy bite that emerges tastes tart and fresh, satisfying thirst more deeply than a simple glass of water or fruit juice could.
Sometimes I enjoy grapefruit in a fruit salad someone else has prepared, whole segments accessed simply by spooning them into my bowl. But there’s something about extracting the sections of grapefruit yourself. And afterward, once each bite has been cut free, squeezing each half to release the remaining juice into a bowl to drink up the last of the nourishing offering.
When spiritually thirsty
As I enjoyed a grapefruit this morning, a much-needed dose of hydration after a walk in the sun, I reflected on the similarity to reading my Bible. When I open my Bible, I often look at one small section. The process to get something nourishing out of it can feel painfully slow, especially if I am spiritually thirsty. What do I mean by that? It’s those times when I know I’ve disconnected from any sort of quiet time with Jesus where I can gain a healthy perspective on my life or circumstances. When I can tell I’m caught up in and distracted by challenges or situations that drain my sense of peace.
Dig deep for thirst-quenching refreshment
When we’re parched, it might be easier to let someone else do the heavy lifting. We could listen to someone else teach on what’s in the Bible or could read a devotion and see what someone else has learned from reading the Bible. Those are both really good activities to engage in. But don’t let that be where we stop. The fulfilling reward comes from digging deep for the thirst-quenching refreshment ourselves. What we discover and internalize takes deeper root in our own lives.
What we discover and internalize takes deeper root in our own lives.
It’s one thing to hear about someone else’s experience. It’s another to encounter our own.
Here’s one benefit to digging deeper ourselves. I don’t know about you, but I’m lousy at memorizing Scripture. I discovered however that I internalize it. When I take the time to focus on a small passage of Scripture, something stays with me even if I don’t realize it in the moment. Has that ever happened to you?
Anchor ourselves in the Word
When we reflect on a few short phrases of Scripture, we anchor ourselves in the Word. That simple phrase may come back to us later in the day or sometime during the week. By pausing long enough to grab hold of a morsel of what’s in the Bible, we nourish our spiritual life one small step at a time.
We nourish our spiritual life one small step at a time.
Do you want to give it a try?
Even if we’re sporadic at best with our Bible reading, whenever we take a moment to focus on a section of Scripture, we grab hold of something to stay with us longer than if we relied on someone else’s study time. What do I mean by that? Devotions are the result of someone else’s personal time with Jesus. My goal here is to help us find a foothold into our own experience.
Don’t worry, we’ll start with a short segment of Scripture. Here’s a portion of Psalm 143.
Psalm 143
“I spread out my hands to you;
I thirst for you like a parched land.
Answer me quickly, Lord;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.” Psalm 143:6-8 NIV
A word or phrase that caught your attention
Take a moment to read this passage and see if any words or phrases stand out to you, for whatever reason. Do the words you noticed speak to your situation? Describe how you’re feeling? Remind you of something good about God? Whatever the reason, focus on the phrase that caught your attention.
Invite Jesus to speak
Does it feel like a prayer or plea to God? A conviction to invite more of Jesus into your life? This is the cool part. Invite Jesus to show you what He wants you to know about the phrase you selected. Ask Him to speak into your life through the highlighted phrase.
Listen for a response
Then pause. Listen. Wait a moment for a response to come into your heart. You might even decide to write down what you hear. Not sure you heard anything? That’s okay too. Writing down the phrase you noticed or repeating it a few times to yourself may help create a space in your heart for God to show you something later. Sometimes the verse itself is the blessing that stays with us throughout the day.
Whatever your experience, let this be a first step toward satisfying a deeper thirst.
No time to open your Bible? Try this:
Don’t open your Bible, at least not yet
Which word or phrase caught your attention? Share in the comments.