After having just come out of a desert season, I have a fresh understanding about spiritual thirst. It's easy to quench our physical thirst. However, when our soul is parched, only one thing can hydrate us properly - Jesus.
Why is that comforting? Because Jesus understands what it means to be thirsty. He willingly left the riches of heaven to descend into our timeline to be our Savior. He left the fellowship of the Trinity and the hydration that offered, to confine himself in a human body that thirsted - just like you and me.
When Jesus hung on the cross, he thirsted. Even though it was a physical thirst, it was also a soul thirst. He felt the human equivalent of abandonment. How many of us can relate to that feeling? God is holy and in order for Jesus to take on our sin and redeem us from the pit, Jesus had to become sin. Our sin. God and sin don't mix. God had to turn His back on Jesus and separate His holiness from that sin. On the cross, Jesus endured God's wrath in our behalf because we could not.
After suffering the most painful death ever imagined, Jesus descended into hell. I don't believe there's a lot of water there either, but Jesus wasn't focused on that. He was doing a victory dance through hell over death on our behalf because we could not. Then when Jesus was resurrected, He ascended into heaven and took His place at God's right hand. Restored. Glorified. Hydrated.
This side of heaven, you and I may endure many trials that leave us spiritually parched. But that's just a temporary state. Jesus, our Wellspring of Life, hydrates us from the inside out. Even during our desert times, He's right there with His water jug of refreshment, encouragement and hope.
So the next time you find yourself in a valley or desert time, instead of focusing on getting out allow your focus to rest on Jesus. He will hydrate you from the inside out as He teaches you the lessons needed to reach other other side.
