“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you — The sure mercies of David… Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:1-3, 6-7

               I THIRST

Is there no Balm in Gilead*
for this parched existence of mine?
Is there no well to feed my soul
no place to rest this weary mind?
Have I been forgotten in this wilderness
where on hands and knees I crawl?
Untilled is the land, wasted sand
cotton-mouthed, shriveled and lonely
there isn’t even a mirage of an oasis
to quench this thirst, this hunger, this madness.

“Come.”

Who said that? Where are you?
Show yourself to me!

“Come.”

Time stands still, dust continues to blow
the quiet is too much to bear
I must know…

“Come. Little one you thirst.
Drink from My hand and I
will satisfy your every need.”

A vision of His nail-scarred wrist
Fingers reaching to my lips
Upon my knees I freely took
of His outstretched hand and understood
Within His care, within His Words
are life abundant and even more.
Should I crave what this world can give
my life is empty, desolate, arid
But when I seek the Lord, His beautiful face
lay my burdens down before His feet
When I surrender all, my everything
the things I craved are a different need
More of Him, less of me
He is my oasis, my healing, my rain.

~Marcell Warner Bridges
©25 January 2015

*Jeremiah 8:22

 
I’m longing for a lot of things right now. I’m craving things. Some are good, some are bad.

But my biggest desire, my loudest hunger pangs and saliva dripping need? God. 

I just want Jesus

Have
you ever just wanted Jesus. Nothing else can satisfy this particular
appetite. Nothing can reach this itch. Not food. Not drink. Not
television, chocolate, cigarettes, exercise… nothing. And if you are
in this painstaking desert, or ever have been, then you know exactly
what I’m talking about.

The Christian life is not easy. The easy
part was giving my heart to Him. The hard part is surrendering it to
Him for good. And even harder, is surrendering it again, and again,
again. 
I’ve been reading a book called “Made to Crave” by Lysa TerKeurst. Made to Crave
is all about learning to satisfy your deepest desire with God, not
food. And before I send out these quotes from her book to you, let me
just say this. Yes, I already knew this stuff. Yes, I’ve heard it all
before. Yes, I could probably tell you this in my sleep. But sometimes
God decides it is time for me to ingest it in a new way. He beckons me
to come and sit at His feet and listen to His Words for a new
understanding. 
Because here is another thing
 I’m learning about commitment. 
About giving God control so that 
I can use self-control to obey Him.

“Don’t get distracted by physical food. Don’t think physical food can satisfy the longing of your soul. Only Jesus can do this. Our souls were created to crave Him and love others to Him. See, there are many people waiting to hear the message of your calling. Don’t get stuck in defeat and held back from it.” (Emphasis mine)

WHOA! THAT IS SOME POWERFUL STUFF AIN’T IT?! But here’s the really good stuff to chew on. To fill up on. Are you ready?

“BEING RULED BY ANYTHING OTHER THAN GOD IS SOMETHING GOD TAKES SERIOUSLY.
 AND SO SHOULD I.”
Jesus wants us to know only He can fill us and truly satisfy us. He really wants us to know that…Only by being filled with authentic soul food from Jesus – following Him and telling others about Him – will our souls ever be truly satisfied. And breaking free from consuming thoughts about food allows us to see and pursue our calling with more confidence and clarity.”
©Karen L Murphy Photography, 2015
O Lord Jesus, may we learn to fill our lives with You. Help us to make Your Words our food and Your praises our thrist-quencher. Help us to take YOU more seriously than anything else. May we seek You with our whole hearts so that we will no longer be ruled by anything other than You and what You want us to do and be. 

  
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All Scriptures taken from NKJV
© Heart Thoughts, Marcie Bridges, 2015

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