November 26, 2024 Devo

I was reading about a woman this last summer who was swimming off a beach in Japan. She fell asleep on her floatation ring and ended up drifting out to sea. Her friends reported her missing, and they began a search. They found her 50 miles out into the Pacific Ocean. She had been floating for 37 hours. They were amazed when they found her that she had survived. She had floated through active shipping lanes and not been hit. She had floated through waters that were heavily infested with sharks. She had also endured the heat and had not died from dehydration.
It was the last one that caught my attention. She was in the middle of an ocean but dying of thirst. How can that be? Well, the ocean is full of salt. It may be wet, but it doesn’t quench your thirst. In fact, the more you drink, the more in need of fresh water you become. Wet is not the same as satisfying.
I’ll bet more than a few of us have discovered that concept in our own journeys. How many of us have chased after “stuff” to fill the hole in our lives? Only to discover that the stuff fills nothing but our homes and garages. Or how many of us have sought out relationship after relationship, trying desperately to find The One who would make us feel whole, complete, and never alone? Instead, we discover heartbreak after heartbreak, disappointment after disappointment, and we are more alone than ever. Stuff can’t fill the hole. People can’t complete us. Satisfaction has to come from above.
Listen to the cry of Jesus again today. “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” What our hearts long for, what our souls thirst for, is the presence of God. When we invite Christ to be the center of our lives, He doesn’t just give us a sip. He lives within us creating an ever-flowing river of His abiding peace and joy. If you’ve been floating on an ocean of unfulfillment, open your heart and life to Jesus today. Let Him do from the inside-out that which nothing else can do from the outside in. Let Jesus quench your thirst! That’s God’s Word for you today.