As a Middle Eastern shepherd, David was well-acquainted with thirst. What happens when the stream you were leading sheep toward for hours has dried up and your waterskin is empty? In the case of David, he may have had to wait until someone brought him a fresh supply of food and water or he may have walked many more miles, seeking the next spring.
Earnestly I seek You
My soul thirsts for You
My body yearns for You
In a dry and weary land
Without water
Psalm 63:1
There were probably long summer days where all the sheep found for grazing was the dried-up weeds shrubs awaiting next year’s winter rain. David knew that while the sheep could survive for a while by absorbing whatever moisture was left in the plants, he wouldn’t survive long without water.
I stretch out my hands to You
My soul thirsts for you
Like a parched land
Selah.
Psalm 143:6
David’s calling, he knew, was not just with the sheep. He had been anointed king years before he stepped into that position. God had called him to that position, and God would have to give him counsel.
My soul thirsts
For God, the living God
When can I go
And meet with God?
Psalm 42:2
The thirst David experienced is different from the thirst of those who don’t know God. The thirst of the Muslim is a thirst for something beautiful of which they’ve seen only glimpses – a purpose beyond their current existence. The thirst David writes of is the thirst of one who has tasted and seen the Lord’s goodness (Ps 34:8). It is a longing for more of God’s presence.
I hardly know what it means to thirst physically. I’ve only ever gone a few hours without being able to quench my thirst. And I have only scratched the surface of what it means to thirst for God’s presence. For years this longing to long, this thirsting to thirst has been a cry of my heart. I pray David’s prayers – not because I feel that same yearning (yet), but because I yearn for that yearning that David had.
Last Monday morning, I had a strong sense of a spiritual battle. I felt unwell physically though I knew I wasn’t sick. I came very close to cancelling my meetings, but I knew that what I was facing was spiritual. I prayed with intensity and determination. Just two days later, I found myself fighting a different battle in prayer – boredom, apathy, distraction. Monday, I had felt the time I had to fight in prayer wasn’t enough. Wednesday, I felt I didn’t have enough time to pray. In my life, the battle of apathy and distraction has been much stronger than that of felt spiritual warfare. Of course, the feeling of apathy and distraction is another subtle weapon the enemy uses and just as much a battle as anything else – but it doesn’t feel that way.
Our bodies need certain elements to survive – calories, hydration, nutrients. But we are not always aware of those needs. Hunger and thirst are basic signals, but they don’t necessarily cue us in to deficiencies in particular nutrients. In the same way, we – our souls and our bodies (Ps 63:1) – need God’s presence. But we are not always aware of our thirst or our hunger or our deficiencies. So, we call out in faith with David – Lord, we thirst for You. We yearn for more of Your presence. We long to be with You. Stir up a hunger and satisfy it with Your presence. Provoke a desperate thirst and quench it by Your Spirit.