THIRSTY?

 AUGUST 4, 2022

Isaiah 55:1

Hey there! All who are thirsty, come to the water!

John 7:37-39a

37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit

Isaiah 12:2-3

Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.”
3 With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.


It was the last day of the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, a thanksgiving celebration of God’s provision for his people in the wilderness, including the miraculous outpouring of water from a rock (see Exodus 17). Jesus stood up and cried loudly at the Feast of Tabernacles, saying “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them” (John 7:37-38 NIV). Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit who had not yet been given.

How are you today? Are you feeling fearful, worried, confused, or a sadness? Is your attitude deflated or empty? The truth is we all have those times, we do not like these kinds of experiences, but we know them all too well. As I age, these experiences of feeling empty or worried etc, have caused me to wonder if my soul, my spirit, at the Holy Spirit’s prompting is sending me a sign that something is missing spiritually. That I am thirsty. That I need a drink of Living Water. You see the New Testament teaches us that the Holy Spirit has been given to us, poured out upon us, and that God’s spirit lives in us.

Isaiah 12 is a hymn, praising God for His faithfulness in keeping His promises, especially the promise of salvation. Isaiah encouraged the people that deep in God’s “wells of salvation” they would experience the cool water of God’s grace, strength, and joy (vv. 2-3). I wonder if those uncomfortable feelings that well up in us at times, are Jesus way of nudging us to draw “living Water” from the wells of salvation. 

So perhaps the message for us is to pause and take time to be still, and to sip from the living waters of the Holy Spirit, and to allow God by his Spirit to flood our spirits, and refresh and strengthen our hearts and cause us to burst out in praise and gratitude to God.