We have been a little obsessed with water lately. Our street is in the middle of a really big water project, and our water situation has been a little sketchy all summer. Sometimes it’s on, but we have to boil it, sometimes it’s off, and sometimes there are improvements, like the water pressure is better than it’s ever been. (Wonderful!)
So water has been on my mind.
Then yesterday, I woke up thinking about being “full.” “Full” means you have everything you can hold. It suggests that you are satisfied. “Full” is a good thing–usually. But when you are full, you don’t desire anything else. You can’t accept anything else. You are full.
Many people are dehydrated, but don’t realize it. Some reports put it at 75% of the population. We are walking around feeling “fine,” thinking that the diet coke and coffee and tea we drink count the same as plain water. (They don’t.)
Thirst is stimulated when we get as low as 1 or 2% dehydrated. It affects our eye health, our immune system, and our blood sugar and pressure. It sabotages our kidneys, and affects eye health, increasing the risk of retinal detachment or macular degeneration.
I don’t want to scare you, but I do want to make the point. We think we are full of water. Maybe we don’t want to be bothered by very many bathroom trips, but we do not feel thirsty even when our bodies are scrambling to provide water to us.
It’s a serious thing, because being moderately dehydrated (drinking less than four cups of water each day) will increase your chances of death from all causes by 20%. Drop it down to two cups, and your chance of death from all causes rises to 30%. Dehydration can be deadly.
We are absolutely blessed in the United States that we have clean, fresh water available everywhere. If you are homeless, there are still public water fountains in nearly every store. There is no reason for any of us to be dehydrated, and yet, we are.
It’s not a problem of sourcing the water, like it is in some places. It is a problem of perception. We do not understand our need. We don’t feel it, and we aren’t even interested.
We are also “full” when it comes to our desire for the Lord. Across our land, the number of those who claim to be Christian has been falling for decades.
But the real measure isn’t what people say, it’s what they do. 44% of Americans report that they pray every day. More people regularly pray than those who go to church at least once a month (33%).
More people in the US believe in God (83%), believe they have a soul (86%), and believe in a literal heaven and hell (70%). But the majority of them don’t go to church. And the majority doesn’t pray daily. (From the Pew 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study)
I interpret that as hunger while feeling hopeless. Most people believe in God, but they don’t pray. Why? What has separated them from the source of power, peace, joy and real fulfillment?
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” (Jeremiah 2:13)
God is still drawing people to Himself. We are his ambassadors, and we have to live our lives with His power so other who don’t know Him can see. We are his ministers, tasked with the job of distributing the truth about the Living Water to those who are suffering.
Jesus said: “Whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14)
No one enjoys admitting that they are deceived. But the truth is that we all have been fooled. We fool ourselves. But the truth is waiting to save our lives! If we only believe and take a drink, we will find out. Sometimes we have to take a few drinks for a while to really find out. Why is it so hard to convince myself to drink water? (I’m talking to myself now.)
I know I resist it. When someone offers me water, I often say no. My mouth will be parched, but I don’t want to stop what I’m doing and drink. However, when I do stop (usually because someone devastatingly handsome has offered me water), it tastes delicious, and I realize how thirsty I actually am.
I respond to someone lovingly offering me water, not because I am thirsty, but because someone loves me. The water is life-giving, satisfying, health-giving and wonderful, but I won’t drink it unless the person offering it to me loves me. I am trying to be better at drinking water on my own now. But I became aware, and discovered a desire to help myself because someone else loved me and desired to help me.
We love because He first loved us. If you are a Christian who is frustrated that people don’t seem interested in Jesus, please understand that we all need Jesus. But when you have gone without, you begin to cope, and don’t feel your need. We can all get into that situation. But part of our job is to look out for each other, and maybe we need to remind each other to become aware of our thirst.
I love you guys. So here is my reminder: Seek the Lord early in the morning. Wake up with thanksgiving in your heart, and thank God for this day he had given you. You didn’t have the right to wake up alive. Some people don’t. Your life is a gift each day, and you owe it all to the God who made you and who sustains your life all day long. Being thankful to God takes you through the gates and into the presence of God. (Psalm 100:4)
Read His word. If you don’t know where to start, begin in Psalms or the book of John. When you read the Bible, you are listening to God. Let Him speak to you in the morning each day. He will reveal things to you that you never knew before. He wants to teach you, to protect you, to bless you, but you must value what God has to offer. There is no replacement for the Word of God.
What would happen if you couldn’t read your Bible? It is that case in many other countries. Don’t take His precious Word for granted–read it, memorize it, cherish His words in your heart.
As you practice thankfulness, your appreciation and joy in life will grow. Lean on God’s everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:27) and He will support and comfort you. Do things to revive your hunger for God. Avoid those things that make you feel as if you don’t need Him. It’s a lie that will destroy you. You need him desperately. We all do.
Are you thirsty?
The Fullers Four 