Are You Thirsty?
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Handout
Handout
Thirst is something that we all know about. Every day we get thirsty and get something to drink in order to quench that thirst.
If we do not get the right amount of liquids in our body, we will become dehydrated and eventually die.
Our very lives can depend on the amount of liquids that we take in.
The same is true about our Jesus. Our very lives depend on the amount of Jesus we take in. The question that we need to ask ourselves today is this:
I am thirsty? Not for water or sweet tea. Not for soda that seems to make you more and more thirsty.
But Am I thirsty for my God? Do I have praise for Him? Does He satisfy or quench my thirst?
Thirsty for You (1-2)
Thirsty for You (1-2)
O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.
This Psalm begins with the powerful proclamation that “God, you are my God.”
This is one of the many Psalms written by David and as we know, David’s life was not always perfect. Even though he was a great warrior, even though he was a king, even though he was a man after God’s own heart, he still had times of trails.
This Psalm was written in one of those times. We do not know if it was written when we was running from Saul, or when he was running from his own son Absalom.
What we do know is that David finds himself in the wilderness.
How often do you and I find ourselves in the wilderness?
Israel had spent 40 years in the wilderness
Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
Your wilderness and my wilderness comes in many different shapes and sizes. Our reason could be great loss, relationship problems, fear of the future, etc.
None of us are new to the idea of being in the wilderness
The question that we may need to ask ourselves is this: How do we act during our wilderness wandering?
David teaches us here how we should act in the midst of the wilderness
He sees that God is still God (God, you are my God)
He seeks God early (the word for early means to diligently, eagerly, earnestly seek)
His soul thirsts for God (I thirst for you)
in the midst of our wilderness do we seek to blame God or others or do we thirst after and long for our great and awesome God
Notice how much David thirsts after God. He longs for Him like someone longing water in a desert where no water can be found
This is how you and I should seek our God. This is how thirsty we should be for Him.
He looks to sanctuary (Even though he is in the wilderness away from the house of God, he looks forward to once again coming into God’s house)
He wants to see the power and glory of God (Do I cry out to see the power and glory of God?)
The way I act or react in the midst of the wilderness shows the world my character.
Do I seek God as David did?
Am I thirsty for God like this?
Do I look to Him for power and strength?
Praise for You (3-4)
Praise for You (3-4)
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.
When I find myself in the wilderness, usually the furthest thing from my mind is praise. Instead of praise, my focus is usually what can I do to get myself out of this wilderness.
The problem with that way of thinking is there is usually nothing that I can do in order to get myself out of the wilderness.
David has found himself in the wilderness, away from the sanctuary of God and he responds with praise
David’s response is “my lips shall praise you”
David will praise God for his lovingkindness
this is the Hebrew word you hear me talk about a lot ḥǎsdʹ
God’s faithful love, the fact that He loves us in spite of us.
David says God’s faithful love is better than life
What could we possible want more than God’s faithful love for His
He love us so much He sent Jesus
David will bless God while he is alive
David knows that while he still has breath in his life he has a reason to bless God
Our very lives is a reason to give God glory and praise even if we find ourselves in the wilderness
David will lift his hand to God’s name
What an incredible attitude to have when we find ourselves in the wilderness. What we see here is an attitude of gratitude and that is a great definition of worship.
No matter where we find ourselves in life we have every reason to praise our God. No matter how bad or good it may seem, we have a reason to praise His great name.
The great Christian band Hillsong released a hit called Dessert Song. This is the bridge for that song
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship
God is still God, we still have breath in our lungs, God is still on the move, so you and I have every reason to praise Him for His lovingkindness.
What are some wonderful reasons you have to praise your great God?
How have you seen God’s incredible faithfulness in your life?
Satisfied in You (5-8)
Satisfied in You (5-8)
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.
As we see God’ faithfulness in our lives, we will find that He is the one who satisfies us.
David says “My soul shall be satisfied”
When we are thirsty, a drink will only satisfy us for a short period of time. Soon we will need something else to drink.
With Christ, we are satisfied in Him, because He has given to us the living water
Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.”
All that we need can be found in Jesus
Ultimately satisfaction arises from the divine presence. It is an understatement to say that the satisfaction experienced in finding God in the wilderness far exceeds the satisfaction of the most lavish banquet this life could spread before us.
Even when you and I find ourselves in the wilderness, God is still there with us, and in Him we can find true joy and satisfaction
David sees his need to mediate on God.
When we find ourselves in the wilderness we need to focus on how big our problem is but instead meditate on how big our God is.
The words of David help us to see why meditating upon God over our problem is always a better solution
You have been my help
David had seen God’s help in his life so much
We have seen God’s help in our lives so much
In the shadow of your wings I will rejoice
David would rejoice in the comfort of being in the wings of His God
You can I can rejoice as we take comfort knowing we are in the wings of our God
My soul follows close
David knew he need to follow close to his God
We need to follow close to our God
Your right hand upholds me
David knew where his strength came from
We need to know where our strength comes from
Conclusion
Conclusion
There are times in our lives where we find ourselves on the mountain top and times we find ourselves in the wilderness.
No matter which place you find yourself in today you can find hope and truth in Christ
What is God saying to you today?
Are you thirsty? Come to Him for a drink
Are you giving Him praise? Come thank Him today
Are you satisfied in Him? Know that He is our everything. He is all we need
Saint Augustine said it well, “our heart is restless until it find rest in Thee”
Are you restless in the wilderness or have you found rest in the one true living God?
Invitation