The Unquenchable Thirst

“Now therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found grace in Thy sight, show me now Thy way, that I may know Thee.” Exodus 33:13

Dear Ones:

What is the greatest yearning and desire that we have?  Does it have to do with that which is of this earth, or world, or that which is in heaven?  If we take the example of three godly men, who truly knew God and walked with Him, we can catch a glimpse of what our answer should be.

The first man is Moses.  Here is a man who had known “culture,” power and position, in fullest measure, as he was raised in Pharaoh’s court in Egypt.  For forty years, he would live in that context, seeing and knowing first hand what the “world” was, with its pursuit of position, possessions, and pleasure.  Yet, there was something that was not complete in him, for there would come a day when he would reject being  called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, “…esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.” (Heb. 11:26)  What radically changed his life?  It was the revelation of God to his heart, and mind.  He saw, and recognized something in the lives of the children of Israel that awakened him to spiritual reality, and the truth.  The thirst to know the God of the Hebrews began to assert itself.

The second man to consider is the Apostle Paul.  Again, here is a man who was, by his own admission, someone who trusted in his flesh, or himself, more than his contemporaries.  He was a “…Hebrew of the Hebrews; …as touching the law, a Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” (Phil.3:5,6)  He was a man of great learning.  Yet, with title and position, reputation and a total commitment to what he believed to be right and true, he was brought face to face with Christ, and all changed.  The entirety of his life, and the object of his pursuit, was radically altered.  Why?  There was in that meeting between him and the Lord Jesus that day on the road to Damascus, a realization which caused the scales to fall from his eyes, with regard to spiritual, eternal reality and worth.  That day, in a similar manner to the woman who was ill, longing to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, to be healed, Saul of Tarsus stretched forth his hand, and found LIFE.  From that day on, there was a new pursuit, one that resembled that of Moses.  It was an  unquenchable thirst.

The third and last man that we consider in this matter of “unquenchable thirst,” is the Apostle John.  We do not have too many details with regard to when John and his brother James met the Lord Jesus personally.  We do know that after Jesus began his ministry, after the temptation in the wilderness, by the words He spoke with authority, and by the miracles that He did, his fame spread throughout the surrounding areas.  It was probably through Andrew and Peter that the knowledge of the Lord first came, for it was Andrew who told Peter that he had found the Messiah.  Through contact with the Lord Jesus, and hearing His word, there was certainly an increasing conviction in their hearts that this was indeed the “Savior of the world.”  But it seems that it was not until, after preaching from the boat of Peter, and Jesus instructing him to put out into deeper water to fish, that a miracle would occur of such magnitude and surprise, that Peter would fall down to worship the Lord.  John and his brother James were not only witnesses of this miracle, but participants in it.  It would be then that they “…forsook all, and followed Him (Christ).” (Luke 5:11)  That was the day when everything changed for John.  The thirst to know Christ would motivate him all of his life, for he would write extensively of fellowship with Him, and the high calling to all believers to know this mutual communion.

Dear Father, The realization of Who Thy Son is, is overwhelming.  According to the words of Moses, “…teach us (also) Thy way, that we may know Thee.”  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Love, Dad