Thirsty Soul My soul thirsts for the living God . . . (Psalm 42:1-2) I woke up way too early on the morning of July 4. In the darkness I listened to the promised rainfall pelting the roof above me – a sound that usually helps send me right back to sleep. Not this time. Within a few hours I’d be getting up and waking my son to go take our place at the start line of the Peachtree Road Race. The sound of the rain gave rise to pictures in my mind: a crowd of thousands trying to navigate the six mile route in a downpour. I could already feel my soaked clothes and saturated socks. Once my awakened mind starts ‘thinking’ sleep becomes nearly impossible. By the time we actually made it to the start line I was thankful for the muggy but rain-free conditions. The skies barely sprinkled during the time it took me to get from Lenox to Piedmont Park. Still, the Peachtree this year was a soggy event. The streets were wet, the air felt wet. Wetness was everywhere. And in the midst of all this wetness, the race route was lined with water tables. Even when water is all around, our bodies still require water within. Last week we spent some time thinking about God’s abundance and how God lavishes that abundance on us. This week we will explore this mystery: In the midst of that abundance, we remain a thirsty people. An abundance of grace can surround us, but it means nothing unless it gets inside of us. One of the most repeated cautions during the summer season has to do with becoming dehydrated. The neglect of water can be a dangerous thing, both physically and spiritually. Psalm 42 describes our soul thirst like this: “As the deer pants for flowing streams, 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?” (Psalm 42:1-2). The soul is thirsty for God and the thirst is experienced as a kind of yearning, a longing that is felt most keenly in the season of waiting. This week we’ll explore some of the Psalms and think about the ache that comes with waiting. That ache is a kind of thirst, and only God can keep us adequately hydrated. Our lives are marked repeatedly by waiting. You may be in the midst of a waiting stretch right now. The waiting can be anything from waiting on an offer on your house to waiting for the love of your life. We wait for the right job, the right time, the right person. Some waiting is long and arduous. Some waiting surprises us with brevity. Whatever it is, waiting is a thirst. What are you waiting on today? Prayer: Eternal God, We are prone to resist the hard work of waiting. We would rather act, take charge, get results, find resolution. But there are things you want to teach us in the waiting season. Make us willing students. Use our thirst of soul to draw us closer to you, even as we wait through whatever this day may bring to us, we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Mark H. Crumpler Pastor for Teaching and Spiritual Formation markthis.blogspot
Posted on: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 09:37:26 +0000
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