For What Do We Thirst?

Prayer-Soldier · Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2020 3:43 pm Post subject: For What Do We Thirst?

For What Do We Thirst?

Scripture:

So the people were thirsty there for want of water, and murmured against Moses, saying: Why did you make us go forth out of Egypt, to kill us and our children, and our beasts with thirst? And Moses cried to the Lord, saying: What shall I do to this people? Yet a little more and they will stone me. And the Lord said to Moses: Go before the people, and take with you of the ancients of Israel: and take in your hand the rod where with you did strike the river, and go. Behold I will stand there before you, upon the rock Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it that the people may drink. Moses did so before the ancients of Israel: And he called the name of that place Temptation, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and for that they tempted the Lord, saying: Is the Lord among us or not? (Exodus 17:3-7)

Being justified therefore by faith, let us have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access through faith into this grace wherein we stand: and glory in the hope of the glory of the sons of God.

And hope confounds not: because the charity of God is poured forth in our hearts, by the Holy Spirit who is given to us. For why did Christ, when as yet we were weak, according to the time, die for the ungodly? For scarce for a just man will one die: yet perhaps for a good man some one would dare to die. But God commends his charity towards us: because when as yet we were sinners according to the time. ( Romans 5:1-2, 5-8 )

He comes therefore to a city of Samaria, which is called Sichar, near the land which Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now well of Jacob was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well. It was about the sixth hour. There comes a woman of Samaria, to draw water. Jesus said to her: Give me to drink. For his disciples were gone into the city to buy meats.

Then that Samaritan woman said to him: How do you, being a Jew; ask of me to drink, who am a Samaritan woman? For the Jews do not communicate with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her: If you did know the gift of God and who he is that says to you: Give me to drink; you perhaps would have asked of him, and he would have given you living water. The woman said to him: Sir, you have nothing wherein to draw, and the well is deep. From whence then have you living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank thereof, himself and his children and his cattle?

Jesus answered and said to her: Whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again: but he that shall drink of the water that I will give him shall not thirst for ever. But the water that I will give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into life everlasting. The woman said to him: Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come hither to draw. Jesus said to her: Go, call your husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said: I have no husband. Jesus said to her: You have said well: I have no husband. For you have had five husbands: and he whom you now have is not your husband. This, you have said truly.

The woman said to him: Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers adored on this mountain: and you say that at Jerusalem is the place where men must adore. Jesus said to her: Woman, believe me that the hour comes, when you shall neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, adore the Father. You adore that which you know not: we adore that which we know. For salvation is of the Jews. But the hour comes and now is, when the true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father also seeks such to adore him. God is a spirit: and they that adore him must adore him in spirit and in truth. The woman said to him: I know that the Messiah comes (who is called Christ): therefore, when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus said to her: I am he, who am speaking with you.

And immediately his disciples came. And they wondered that he talked with the woman. Yet no man said: What do you seek? Or: Why do you talk with her? The woman therefore left her water pot and went her way into the city and said to the men there: Come, and see a man who has told me all things whatsoever I have done. Is not he the Christ? They went therefore out of the city and came unto him.

In the mean time, the disciples prayed him, saying: Rabbi, eat. But he said to them: I have meat to eat which you know not. The disciples therefore said one to another: Has any man brought him to eat? Jesus said to them: My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, that I may perfect his work. Do not you say: There are yet four months, and then the harvest comes? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and see the countries. For they are white already to harvest. And he that reaps receives wages and gathers fruit unto life everlasting: that both he that sows and he that reaps may rejoice together. For in this is the saying true: That it is one man that sows, and it is another that reaps. I have sent you to reap that in which you did not labor. Others have labored: and you have entered into their labors.

Now of that city many of the Samaritans believed in him, for the word of the woman giving testimony: He told me all things whatsoever I have done. So when the Samaritans were come to him, they desired that he would tarry there. And he abode there two days. And many more believed in him, because of his own word. And they said to the woman: We now believe, not for your saying: for we ourselves have heard him and know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world. (John 4:5-42)

Reflection:

We all face times where things are not as we desire. Some will roll up their sleeves and get to work on a solution while others are tempted to raise voices of criticism and grumble that their concern goes unaddressed. Sometimes, we are powerless in the face of what is before us, but before we complain, we should ask ourselves, have we done all we can to set things right before we expect others to act?

There are times of crisis where all spins out of our control. There are moments that no matter what we do, we, alone, cannot address the need at hand. In our despair, we are tempted to give up or lash out; but we should also remember, we can also ask for help. If we have done what is possible by our hands and come up short, there is no shame in asking for assistance, but we must remember, there is a difference between a request and a demand, for a demand is to request forcefully without the authority or right to command.

Some, realizing they have no solution, place the blame on others and demand others respond to their expectations rather than request assistance. Demands come from the heart of arrogance, coldness, selfishness, and intimidation while requests come from the humble heart. Perhaps we should ask ourselves, what do we feel when someone demands something from us as opposed to a humble request for assistance? The former may draw our resentment while the latter should draw our compassion. We might consider, what do we expect from God when we present worldly demands to Him rather than lift up our hearts in humble prayer?

We all face times where we find ourselves in an emotional desert, thirsty for a respite to our sorrow or misery. When we discover the resolution is beyond our control, we must remember, there is a Hand which reaches out to us with the desire to help. Still, the question will be, will we reach back or arrogantly slap it away?

The woman at the well did not recognize the nature of her thirst, for she thought she might satisfy it, as it rises from time to time, through her desires of the world. Even as Jesus spoke, she did not understand the thirst He offered to quench, but as He touched her heart, she began to comprehend and recognized who was speaking to her. He waits for such moments with all of us, where we are willing to remove the worldly veil over our hearts so He may fill us with something greater than the world.

We are all drawn to thirst. As we feel it growing within us, we look for something to quench it, but we do not always consider the consequences of what we consume. While some water will quench our thirst for a time, not all water gives life. Indeed, the wrong water may quench our thirst in the moment, but as it flows into us and through us, we may discover that rather than sustain us, it drains us of life.

We must remember there is a water for our soul which is greater than the water of the world. As we lift up to Him what is in our hearts, let us not demand the drink which only quenches our worldly thirst, but humbly pray for His help to quench our eternal thirst. The answer will not always be what we expect, but we may trust the answer will be what we need; not for this world, but for our preparation so we may have the opportunity to enter into His kingdom.

We may pray for the water of the world, water which He may give, but let us also remember, He offers a more life giving water, the water which gushed forth from Him as a font of mercy for us; the font of mercy which washes us, refreshes us, and which yields eternal life. As He fills and strengthens us, let us also allow Him to work through us so we may help fill and strengthen others.

As we consider our cares, let us examine our thirsts. Let us also examine what will quench our eternal thirst. Let us look to Jesus with contrite and humble hearts so He may offer us the eternal water of His mercy. Let us receive Him and drink, always remembering to give thanks and praise for His grace.

Questions for further reflection:

In what ways do our wants blind us to our true needs?

What do we hope God will pour into our hearts?

For what do we thirst, and with what and through whom shall our thirst be quenched?

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier