“I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you.” (Psalm 63:1 NIV)

Knowing Jesus isn’t an activity. It is a state of being. In this Psalm, David’s physical setting reminds him of his spiritual setting. He’s in the desert of Judah, “a dry and parched land where there is no water.” (v. 1b)

He looks around him. Desolation. He looks inside. Desolation. In his thirstful desperation, he says that his whole being longs for God.

Have you ever gone so long without water that your mind and body dissipated? Maybe just the other day in the heat of summer. The further you drift into that state, the more helpless you feel. And when you realize you don’t have a water source nearby, panic starts to set in.

I used to live in Colorado Springs, well over a mile-high elevation. The altitude and dryness sucked the water right out of my body. Pouring bottles of water down my throat was necessary for survival.

If I went without my H2O, it would take just minutes for the effects to set in. First, my mental sharpness and concentration would begin to fail. Then I’d feel achy. Before I knew it, I was becoming dehydrated. My attitude would change, too. I’d be cranky. All because I wasn’t hydrated.

Finally, when I’d remembered to grab a drink of water, I’d guzzle down two or three glasses out of the tap (the water in Colorado is delicious). Slowly, my senses would return. My mind and body would return to normal.

God gave us physical thirst to remind us how much we need him.

Just like we can’t take a sip of water here and there in the desert, we can’t take a sip of Jesus on occasion. We need to be all in and satisfy our thirst for Jesus always.

We must constantly come to the well. Come to Jesus, your Living Water.

The more you do, the more you will know him.

You thirst. You thirst for God. You thirst for God with a longing soul. Those are facts. Wonderful facts. Recognize why you’re thirsting and dive into a precious, loving encounter with Jesus. Today. Tomorrow. The next day.

Read Psalm 63:1-8. Think about each verse. Picture David speaking to God. Imagine him being in the desert of Judah as a visual reminder of his thirsty soul. Put yourself in his sandals. And cry out to God with your longing, thirsty soul.