We are a thirsty people, full of deep soul-needs that must be met; and we all have a destructive tendency to frantically run to the poisoned waters of the world to quench our desperate thirst. To combat this despicable trend, we have developed a form of sanctification that amounts to nothing more than learning to control and suppress the thirst of our souls. We come to Jesus for a sip of life-giving water, then spend the rest of our days reckoning all subsequent thirsts as evil, and trying to live off of that one small sip. It is difficult at first, for the thirst is always there, un-quenched by that little drink. But as time goes on, we barely even notice the thirst anymore and no longer feel the need to run to the world for comfort. As we progress in this pharisaic discipline, we run after the world less and less, while our soul shrivels up and dies. We are not “worldly;” but we have no power, no joy, no reality of Christ. We plant a flag upon this wasteland of a life, and call it spiritual maturity.
But your redeemer is Jehovah, the fountain of living waters, and his solution is not to suppress the deepest needs of the soul, but to abundantly satisfy them. He invites us to drink greedily and often; yea, to live by the fountain head and be drenched in his fullness. Oh, thirsty soul, let neither the pharisees and their white-washed graveyards nor the world and its broken cisterns keep you from Christ; but come to him, and out of your innermost being will flow rivers of living water. Don’t be ashamed of your thirst, for it is the very thing he requires of those who will drink of him. Come with all of your needs, all your deficiencies, all your desires, and find true and total satisfaction in him. You will never be free from your thirst, but as he constantly quenches your thirst with his own fullness, you will be filled with all the fulness of God. Jesus Christ Himself satisfies every real desire and need in the human heart with his own self, fulfilling the needs of the soul as no other ever could.
Man’s desperate dissatisfaction is outright blasphemy against the character of God (Jeremiah 2:9-13)
- Our blasphemous dissatisfaction in God is unheard of even among worldlings (9-10)
- Our blasphemous dissatisfaction in God is demonstrably foolish (11)
- The true nature of our blasphemy terrifies the very heavens (12)
- The true nature of our blasphemy is a refusal to see God for who he really is (13)
Man’s satisfaction is determined by his relationship with God himself (Jeremiah 17:5-18)
- The cursed man trusts and hopes in man, becomes limited in his ability to experience God, and is unable to receive blessing
- The blessed man trusts and hopes in God, has an expansive experience of God, and receives satisfaction that is not dependent on circumstance
- But be warned, the human heart is an unreliable judge of a man’s standing, for it is set by nature against God. Only God knows and judges a man’s heart and actions, and even apparent success will not be allowed to continue if not founded in reality.
- A man who is satisfied in God responds to trouble with confidence in the nature of God, and his eventual deliverance
Man’s absolute and complete satisfaction is found in Jesus Christ himself; for he satisfies the real needs and desires of his people (John 7:37-39)
Dissatisfied men are the greatest works of the Devil, and the greatest abomination in all creation. Even though our lack is entirely our own fault and is a great abomination before God and men, Jesus graciously bids the thirsty to come to him for complete satisfaction. Come to him and drink, and find grace enough to save you from your sins. Draw waters from THE well of salvation with joy. Abide by the fountain, and drink your fill. It is not selfish to do so, but the greatest way to glorify God than man can ever know.
