Have you any burdens? Have you any hunger? Have you any thirst? If you answer yes, then I suppose you’re alive and the Holy Spirit is at work drawing you to the Father, so that’s good news! Burdens, hunger, and rest are good things and normal things. It seems that it’s not a matter of if you will face these desires, but when. So, the question becomes, what will I do with my burdens? What will I do with my hunger and thirst? Where will I go to find a lighter load, a full stomach, a quenched thirst?
The burdens: Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Notice he’s not saying “if” you face these daunting circumstances. He says “when”. The reality is that we will face burdens, trials, and difficulties. If they are not current, they will be. So what do we do with them? We trust in the One who promises to be with us (Isaiah 43:5 and many others). These circumstances will likely weary our body and soul. Jesus invites us to come to him. He will give us soul rest (Matthew 11:28). In Jesus, our burdens and trials will not be easy, but they will be light as He carries us through.
The hunger: Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the Lord is good…
Have you tasted of the Bread of Life (John 6:35)? Have you feasted on that which will never leave you hungry? Jesus said man lives on the very word of God not just on bread (Matthew 4:4). This verse is referring to Deuteronomy 8:3 where it says God humbled the Israelites causing them to hunger…and then he feeds them manna to teach them that their lives are not sustained solely by food. He causes the hunger of our soul to open our eyes to our need for his sustenance. When our soul is in the pangs of hunger, he promises to fill us should we feast on him. This invitation is wonderful. This invitation is always available.
The thirst: John 4:14
…but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
God brought water out of a rock (Exodus 17:6). He can make something dry and hard completely flourish. Part of me thinks, “enough said.” But, to explore a little more, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that the water he gives will forever quench her thirst. To experience a full, John 10:10 life, we must come to Jesus and drink, and drink, and then drink some more. This water quenches such that it brings eternal life! It’s an eternal quench for our thirst! How could I drink from any other well?
So our burdens, hunger, and thirst are a sign that we are alive, that the Spirit of God is drawing us to himself. Have you any burdens? Have you any hunger? Have you any thirst? God would invite you, “Come to me. I will be with you. I will watch over you and carry your burdens. I will fill you. I will quench your thirst…forever”
So may you be like a tree planted by the stream of living water, flourishing, filled and quenched by the only One who can set you free! May you delight yourself in Him and there find the desires of your heart fulfilled.
Further reading:
Psalm 1
Psalm 42