I THIRST

John 19:28b  "I thirst!"

This morning as I was thinking about the Lord, about my precious Lords' crucifixtion, I heard the words "I thirst" come from deep inside of me.  As I began to seek the Lord for what He was telling me, I went to the Word.  I find that Jesus made this statement after He took on all our sin, all our shame.  After the Father turned from the sin of the world, did Jesus cry out in thirst.  I am certain this has occurred to many before it did me, this day, but what a revelation when the Lord shows you something that you did not see, did not understand, did not know where it applied to yourself.

I had always thought it in the natural....thirst.  But of course, Jesus would not have been in the human thought process there,  in His last moments, worrying about human desire and functions.  He was so in the Spirit those last moments, so knowing that His only strength, His last objective was now as the Son of God and not the Son of man. 

As soon as the Father turned away, instantly an overwhelming thirst hit our Savior.  He desired but one thing at those last moments....His Father.  Nothing mattered except that He be embraced, that He be received into the Father.  His thirst was not for water but for the deep, satisfying love and warmth of His Father.  I realize my words are not those of someone who is a theologian, but my words come from my own thirst and desire for the constant deep, satisfying love and warmth of my Father.  Can you not but imagine, think for a moment, of Jesus on the cross, His last moments, knowing that finally His work on earth was complete, knowing that He had done what He was sent to do.....and then as all the sins, all the shame, all the disease, all the filth, everything unclean, despicable came flooding onto Him, as He took them on, removing these things from us, pouring out His righteousness onto the undeserving, but forgiven children of God.....I wonder if He knew ahead of time that when this happened....when all these wretched things came upon Him, as He breathed them into Him.....that the Father, who would not look at sin, could not look upon sin, would turn His back on His Beloved Son for those moments.  Can you see the life draining from Jesus as His Spirit began to leave Him, thirsting for the Father, needing at that moment not to wait any longer but to go.....return to where He was full, filled to overflowing with the love and grace of His Father.  And then with one last breath.....It Is Finished. 

Do you thirst.....have you found that nothing quenches that thirst but the Spirit of God?  Do you find when you get distracted, when a time comes when for a moment, you forget what life is, real life is, when the world draws your mind away from Jesus and you fix your thoughts on the world around you... and in a moment....you realize you are thirsty.  You are thirsty but you know not for water, not for drink, but for the Fullness to come, overflowing, overfilling your spirit with His.  You cannot live without this River of life flowing through you from your head to your toes; you cannot breathe without the sweet aroma of the love of God filling you with grace and His mercy.  A thirst that can only be quenched by God's arms around you, holding you dear to His heart; a thirst that can only be satisfied when you are reminded that you are saved, you are sanctified, you are never to thirst again, for you are the Bride of Christ.  You are being led beside the River of life where one day you will be lifted up, just as Jesus was, and taken home where our thirst will be no more.

I thirst and I hunger for only You, my Lord.  I yield my life to Your will and I wait, I wait to have You quench my thirst; when I will be with You and will thirst no more.

02-04-13