“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Psalm 73:25-26
In the advertising world, Coca-Cola will always be known as the “real thing.” And I agree. On a hot, blistery afternoon, nothing quenches my thirst as does an ice-cold bottle of Coke. Iced tea doesn’t do it. I think lemonade will, but it won’t. Even cold water, for me, lacks the bite I enjoy from a Coke. There are no substitutes for the real thing.
But in the world of spiritual pursuits, sometimes we don’t even realize what we’re thirsty for. Yearnings deep within drive us from one relationship to another looking for fulfillment. Our desires set us on edge, yet we know instinctively that once we grasp “realness,” we shall be satisfied. The problem is, there are so many substitutes. If only we could find and hold onto what our souls crave.
Stop your search. Christ is the real thing. Nothing and no one satisfies the soul as Jesus does, for He fills every craving. David knew that when he wrote in Psalm 63, “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
You may think that you have to actually crave God before you come to Him. No. Express your cravings to Him and expect Him to be the one who will fulfill you, and you know what? He will.
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42:1-2).
When can you meet with God? Right now. And, for today’s prayer, why don’t you use your own — your real — words.
