Whenever We Thirst: How satisfying is satisfaction in God?

(by Mark Dodd)

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified

(John 7:37-39).

Here at The Gospel For OC, we believe that truth is not diminished by its simplicity; in fact, oftentimes, it is its simplicity that makes the truth so beautiful. This passage presents that sort of truth. Here are some quick thoughts on what Jesus says here, and why it totally blows my mind:

1. First, Jesus says “If anyone thirsts,” and he leaves this in the general sense. This is vastly important. Many of us tend to ask God to fulfill the need we feel for him, but Jesus makes it clear here that this is not enough. He does not say, “If anyone thirsts for God, let him come to me and drink.” He does not say, “If anyone thirsts for holiness, let him come to me and drink.” What he does is so simple, and so amazing: he dares to make a proclamation of his satisfaction–which permeates all areas of a believers heart–by telling us to come to him and drink whenever we thirst!

It is so subtle, and it is so simple. Isn’t it? But I urge you, please don’t miss it! When you are lonely, and you thirst for relational intimacy, come to Christ, and drink of the all-satisfying, living water of the Gospel.  When you are depressed, and you thirst for joy and happiness, come to Christ, and drink of the immeasurable joys that are found in the Gospel. When you are drawn to sin, and you thirst for carnal pleasure, come to Christ, and drink of true pleasure in God.

As the Psalmist says, “Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!” (Psalm 34:9).
Do we believe this? Is it true that those who fear the Lord will truly have no lack?  Christ Jesus says, “Yes,” just as he said to the Samaritan woman, “come to me, and I will give you living water!“

2. Second, this water is alive, and it is flows from God, out of his saints…and, man, does it flow! This is not a pool of mere satisfaction, it is a living river of water that flows abundantly to meet every need as it arises. This means that the living water that Jesus gives me is custom made to give me satisfaction in the Lord in the exact way that I need it, at the exact time that I need it.

However, perhaps the most interesting thing about this living water is that it flows out of the hearts of believers. In his book, Desiring God, John Piper has a chapter on love, where he defines love as “the overflow of joy in God that gladly meets the needs of others.” This is love. This is the way the Gospel works. It meets all of our needs, and out of our own joy and satisfaction, we are inclined to serve others.

So, this living water does not stay in our hearts as a pool, and it doesn’t even trickle out onto others as a stream; rather, it flows out of our hearts as a river. The abundance of God’s love is not restricted to our bodies. In fact, it is felt to a greater degree when it bubbles up and spills over onto another human being.

So, here is the question that I see when I read this passage: Where–or perhaps, to whom–do you go when you thirst? Do you recognize your neediness, and come to drink of the living water of God? Or do you drink from the cup of your carnal desire? Let us not mindlessly follow our sense of needs into idolatry; but rather, let us be led into a holy dependency and a revelation of God’s total sufficiency through the Gospel of the Cross of Christ.