Thirst No More

John 18:28b  "I Thirst"

As our precious Savior hung on that rugged cross, moments before death would claim Him, He said "I thirst".  One of those responsible for putting Jesus on this very cross dipped hyssop into sour wine and lifted it up to Him, after which He said "It is finished!" and gave up His spirit.

This morning as these words filled my mind, I saw that our Lord was not thirsty for water but in fact was thirsty for the Presence, the Presence of His Father that had left Him when He took on the sins of the world.  That immense emptiness His spirit felt when His Father, His God, who could not look at sin, turned His back.  Can  you just imagine how God felt?  Loving His Son so deeply, His Son who knew no sin.....His Son, perfect and unsoiled......Heaven's own joy....and having to turn away.....because He took on the sins of the world......all sin...past, present, future sin....my sin.....your sin.  I believe the earthquake that preceded was the very breaking of God's heart as the reason He sent Jesus to earth.....knowing death was the result.....was finished.

I have known parents who, for reasons they knew was the right thing to do, have turned their child, their grown child, out and refused their cries for help, turning from them with their own hearts breaking.....and they were not taking on the sins of all the world.  You may know how this feels also, my friends, as a time when you have had to refuse your child something even though it broke your heart to do so.  Your tears shed.....I believe  my Father in Heaven shed tears, heartbreaking tears.

"I thirst".  Serious spiritual thirst when a separation came between the Son and the Father.  This is the deep thirst so many feel because of a lack of relationship with the Lord.  As these words came to me this morning, I could see....I could feel the estranged cry of Jesus as the relationship was severed.....even though it would be for a short period of time....a minute would be too long to be separated from the Father.  People search for lifetimes trying to satisfy that emptiness, that thirst they seek and so many never find it as they are unwilling to let themselves go.....just give up the control they have worked so hard to maintain.....just let themselves call on the Lord and surrender their all to Him.  One call and their thirst would be satisfied for eternity with "Living Water" that would cease their thirst forever. 

The dictionary says thirst is a dry, painful feeling caused by having nothing to drink......a dry, painful feeling.  Have you ever come in, so thirsty, and drank a bottle of water to find that you were still thirsty?  So you drank more to find that it did not seem to quench that thirst?  Only One can truly satisfy the thirst of a child of God.  Only One can truly fill the vessel to the top calming the need for anymore.  Only One can calm that dry, painful feeling, replacing it with a joy unknown before.  Only One can give everlasting, never-ending "Living Water" so that you thirst no more.

CREAM ALWAYS RISES TO THE TOP

This is the word the Lord gave me yesterday and it has been on my mind ever since.  I could not imagine what this phrase could possible mean in regards to my (our) Christian walk.  As the phrase would not let go of me, I decided to sit down and put some serious thought to it.  I googled the phrase but of course there was nothing to reflect the Word of God.  That is all it took.  A serious decision to find out what the Lord was telling me and the answer began to come. 

Cream is the rich portion of the milk when fresh before anything is done to it.  I can remember as a child and seeing my grandmothers bring in the milk from the dairy man.  They would pour off the top of the bottled milk as this was where the beautiful cream was.  It was always at the top, even though when it was poured into the bottle it sank to the bottom as it was heavier.  But the richness of it, the buttery goodness of it, slowly began to rise upwards.

Often when we are under attack from the enemy, all the good that has been poured into us by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God, all the beauty of God’s Word, His love and His faithfulness at times begins to slowly flow to the bottom of our hearts, our spirits.  As the attacks become heavier and we become discouraged, faith beginning to falter, our spirits become heavy and our knowing….our vision….darkness can begin to overtake us.  We call out to our Father, “help us Lord”.

Here’s the good part, dear friends……we are the children of a Mighty God…..of a Father whose hand never leaves us……we are inhabited by His very own Spirit……and the Spirit of God, dwelling in us does not fail us but begins to rise above the circumstances….begins to exalt Himself above the darkness that has tried to fill us….and His Light comes rising to the top of any and all situations that have bound us.  Like the cream rising to the top of milk – the richness of the Holy Spirit cannot be held down in the hearts of those who worship the Lord with their whole hearts……the goodness of God will draw His Spirit up in us and lift us higher than our problems…..and the joy and peace that only can come from our Lord begins to fill us again.

It is difficult at times to put in exact words what the Lord shows me…..I can only pray you can close your earthly eyes and let your spiritual eyes join me in seeing the Lord, in His rich glory, rising up in us when we come against worldly attacks.  Join me in thanksgiving and gratitude to our God, who time after time shows His faithfulness and love….His abiding love.