Dryness can be a real problem. Chapped lips, cracked hands, itchy scalp, browning plant, tough steak. You could remedy the issue with some lip balm, moisturizer, medicated shampoo, water & top soil, or simply start over again.
But, what do you do if it you that’s dry?
The psalmist in Psalm 42:1-2 was thirsty, too!
“As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God?”
The Thirst of the Empty Soul
Augustine writes that, “Thou has made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.” Our souls are always searching, never resting, the empty soul turns from one pursuit to another, unable to find anything that will fill that void in the heart.
Maybe you’re the one whose thirst is that of an empty soul. You’ve been longing, restless, searching. There’s good news for you today.
The Thirst of the Dry Soul
What’s the difference between an empty soul and a dry soul? One has never experienced “rivers of living water” (Jn 7:38), and the other has, and know what they’re missing.
So, how can a believer in Jesus experience a dry soul? Especially since Jesus promised “whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst” (Jn 4:14)?
John Piper prayerfully writes, “What do You mean? I’m so thirsty! My church is thirsty! O, Jesus! What did You mean?”
When you are experiencing the thirst of the dry soul, like the psalmist in Psalm 42, nothing else but the living water of God Himself will do.
Maybe you’re the one whose thirst is that of a dry soul. You’ve been unsettled, desperate, overwhelmed. There’s good news for you today.
The Thirst of the Satisfied Soul
Oddly, the satisfied soul thirsts for God because the satisfied soul is satisfied with God! The satisfied soul knows the truth of Psalm 34:8:
“O, taste and see that the LORD is good!”
Paul announces that anything he has gained is nothing in comparison to the priceless privilege of knowing Jesus (Phil 3:7-10), and then cries out “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection”!
Paul was soul-satisfied with Jesus, yet still thirsty for Him!
Thomas Shepherd writes, “a man, but thirsting receives; and receiving, thirsts for more.”
Knowing Jesus well is so spiritually thirst-quenching because no person, possession, or experience can produce the spiritual pleasure we can find in Him.
Consider this prayer by A.W. Tozer:
“O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more… O God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filed with longing; I thirst to me made thirsty still.”
So, How Thirsty Are You?
If you have an empty soul, Jesus invites you: “If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink” (Jn 7:37), offering this wonderful promise that “the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out (Jn 6:37). He offers peace (Jn 14:27) and rest (Mt 11:28), and so much more!
If you have a dry soul, you may have been led into a wilderness experience where He can have your attention and speak into your life. It may be a new season of Him doing a new thing (Isa 43:18-19), or a season of challenge to endure, remaining faithful, and trusting in Him (Rom 5:3-5).