Thirst {Part II}.

Naturally, since my last post was about thirst and it was titled Part One, then this is another thought on thirst.
Aptly named Part Two.
Ha.

When I was writing the last entry all I could think was, “What are ways that I thirst?”
Most of the time I think I am doing quite well. I am very open with the Lord about what is going on and he does a fabulous job of meeting me where I am, but still the thought lingered that there has to be some areas that I “thirst” in.

Then I sighed.

Because I realized that it’s always the same thing:

The future.

Maybe some of you don’t struggle with this. Maybe it doesn’t make some of you want to hyperventilate, or run and hide, or set your jaw and let nothing get past your door…

Maybe the future isn’t where you thirst. But I would assume that your need is elsewhere then.

Call me a skeptic, I just don’t think there are people out there that, if being honest with themselves, can say they feel no need for more of Jesus SOMEWHERE in their life.
All that to say is I found myself praying that morning. And now I am going to throw a lot of thoughts and information and verses at you and I hope it makes sense. Ok? Good.

So I thirst in the ideas that surround my idea of the future. I don’t thirst so much for things I am dealing with today. Today things seem to be fine, manageable, and when it’s not God seems to provide the grace I need to at least rest in the fact that he knows what he is doing.

With that thought in my head I hear Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

And I think about other verses that pertain to today, right now. Like where it says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness.” (II Cor. 12:9)

Or what about “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)
Or in thinking about thirst, what about Psalm 23 that says, “My cup overflows…”?

If we are told to not worry about tomorrow, and are told that today his grace is sufficient, his mercy is new every morning, and our cup overflows,  then does it  surprise me at all that my thirst is in the FUTURE?
No.
Why does it not surprise me, you ask? Because, while my eternity is secured (which is future), grace is sufficient for TODAY. Mercy is new TODAY. My cup runs over TODAY.
And I see this, I know this. I know that TODAY there is still food in my house, TODAY I still have money in the bank, TODAY God is good. My fear/the devil will tell me to believe, however, that tomorrow won’t be so fortunate. He wants me to think that tomorrow grace WON’T be sufficient, tomorrow mercy WON’T be new, tomorrow my cup WILL NOT overflow.
What do I try to do then? How does this translate into thirst?

Let me show you a picture that came to my mind.

And I apologize in advance because I am no artist. A designer, yes. An artist, no.

This is the truth of us. There we are today, the cup in our hand is our need/thirst, and what is it doing? It is overflowing. Why? Because his grace for today is sufficient. His mercy was new this morning. Today’s manna is given today, today’s thirst is quenched today.

Because fear wants me to think that grace and mercy won’t be there tomorrow, this is what we try to do, though.

There we are, with today’s overflowing cup, i.e. today’s thirst quenched and needs met, trying to throw all of that overflowing grace and mercy to tomorrow’s problems, issues, fears. But here’s the catch: Tomorrow’s problems, issues and fears don’t exist yet; there is no cup to catch what we are trying to throw there. So we end up trying to throw all of today’s overflowing to tomorrow’s issues making us feel thirst about tomorrow today and still not quenching any thirst of tomorrow.

What a waste.

I remember praying for a house before I moved once. I was a month away from transporting all my stuff and still didn’t have somewhere to live and I said, “But Lord! I need a house there now!” and he replied back to me, “No you don’t. You don’t live there NOW.”

Hmm. He was right. I didn’t need a house in that city at that point because I didn’t LIVE in that city at that point (it all worked out great, btw. That’s how I met Al and Ella).
Do you see my point? Jesus doesn’t give us what we need to get through tomorrow or next week or next month or next year TODAY, he doesn’t quench tomorrow’s thirst TODAY, he gives us what we need for tomorrow and he quenches tomorrow’s thirst TOMORROW.

Now don’t come knocking on my door saying that I believe we shouldn’t plan for the future, and work, and have jobs, and that we should eat all of our food in one night because “God will give tomorrow’s manna tomorrow.” No. I don’t believe that at all.

But all of that stuff is temporal. Do you see that? Food and shelter are things of this world. Thirst, although it might appear like it involves things of this world (worry about future money, etc. whatever), is spiritual
Yes.

Thirst comes in things eternal. Our thirst rests on what we believe.

In the Garden of Eden the serpent got Adam and Eve to believe that God wasn’t who he said he was. “Did God really say that?”

This is the exact same situation. God says that his grace is sufficient, he says that his mercy is new. And this thirst about the future is the devil asking us the age old question, “Did God really say that?”
Because if the enemy can get us to doubt the character or God, or to doubt his word—to doubt what he says—then his job is done. We are done.
And we will be forever thirsty.

Jesus said to those at the feast, “If anyone is thirsty…come to me.”
Whether it’s thirst for today, tomorrow, or eternity, Jesus is the only well we can drink from and be satisfied, because he is the only one sufficient enough to quench.