Choking on the Will of God
God most often speaks to me in analogies. This time was no different. As I was preparing a message for our youth group several weeks ago on “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” I got a revelation from two different Scriptures.
First, in John 4, is the story of Jesus speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well. His disciples had gone into town to get some food while Jesus stayed behind. When they returned and offered Him something to eat, He replied,
“I have food that you don’t know anything about.” (CEV)
This left the disciples scratching their heads as to what He might possibly mean, so Jesus clarified it for them by saying,
“My food is to do what God wants! He is the one who sent me, and I must finish the work that he gave me to do.” (CEV)
Then, in , and again in , David iterates his intense longing for the presence of God in these words,
“My soul thirsts for you.”
God had brought him to a dry, deserted, lonely place in his life so that his craving for the presence of God would overwhelm him. That’s often a hard pill to swallow, but it is such good medicine!
After reading these several verses, the Lord began to speak to me in terms I could really understand. Think back to a time in your life when you sat down to a tantalizingly delicious meal. Perhaps it was a perfectly cooked and juicy steak right off the grill, complete with a side of sautéed mushrooms and onions. Or maybe it was that salad that had just the right combination of fresh veggies and topped with that one special dressing that just makes your mouth water. Or imagine being one of the five people left in this country who hasn’t sworn off carbs and there’s that particular dessert you dreamed about one night — you know, the one oozing with chocolate or caramel, smothered in fresh strawberries.
Now, if you just kept eating and eating and eating your favorite food, whatever that might be, and never took a drink, that steak or salad or dessert would quickly lose its appeal, wouldn’t it? Imagine how dry and scratchy your throat would get. The food that once made your head spin with delight is now causing you some potentially life-threatening problems. That’s because the liquids we drink help to coat the food as we get it from the plate to our stomachs.
It works the same in the spiritual as in the natural. Our food is to do the will of God, but it is God’s presence that we thirst for. Too many people have burned out and choked to death on the will of God because they neglected to make regular trips to the river for a drink of the water of life.
Jesus offered the Samaritan woman at the well water that would leave her eternally and completely satisfied. That water is Jesus Himself. Are you living for God at a breakneck pace, trying to do everything He’s called you to do? How long has it been since you stopped and just drank deeply of the presence of God? How long are you going to wait before you answer the Lord’s call to drink the water which will become in you a spring of eternal life?
If you are choking on God’s will, He is calling you to put down your forks, spoons, and knives for just a moment and take a healthy gulp of His presence. Do what the Samaritan woman did and just ask Him for that water. You will be glad you did!
Copyright © Paul Dailey, used with permission.
