QUENCH YOUR
INNER THIRSTS
Isaiah
55:1-9
By Pastor
YAU
INTRODUCTION
A
hummingbird near
WHY DO MEN HAVE INNER THIRSTS?
The Bible
clearly indicates that man was created in the image of God. One of the characteristics
of that image is the soul which needs to be fed. Just as the body needs food and clothing, the
soul needs spiritual nutrition. As long
as men stay away from the source of spiritual provision, his inner being will
remain empty.
Man,
being a finite being, can never meet the needs of his inner thirsts with things
he may achieve. That’s why we see people with high level of achievements, be it
money, power, fame, an every thing else this world may be able to provide,
still feel empty and meaningless on the inside. Many of these people live in
misery while some of them took their own lives just to ease their pain.
DOES GOD KNOW OR CARE?
Yes, God
knows our needs on the inside and He also cares. The scripture quote today clearly shows us we
have a God who knows and cares about our inner needs. He calls His people to
come to Him for a supply that will quench their inner thirsts without costs to
them. He urges us not to look for things
that will never serve the purpose of quenching those needs. In Amos 8:11, the Lord declared that people
were not thirsty and hungry because of famine of bread or water but because of
a famine of the Word of God.
SIGNS OF THE INNER THIRSTS
While
there are countless signs or symptoms of human inner thirsts, we pick the
following to demonstrate soul hunger.
1)
Men are in search
of SELF WORTH all their lives. While objects may be different, purpose is the
same: I need to feel I am important, I have worth. This is for his satisfaction and his reason
for living.
2)
Men are also in
constant search of RECOGNITION.
Different people needs different things for him to earn that
recognition, but we all have that inner thirst to be recognized.
3)
Men also search
for SECURITY. Security is a big subject in today’s world on national level all
the way to personal level. Some pile up material processions while others claim
power and status. But all are for security purpose.
4)
MEANING and
FULFILLMENT, or lack of them, are also signs of spiritual thirsts. The Bible
says: “Man does not live on bread alone.” (Matt. 4:4) Life without meaning is
not living, it is only existence.
STEPS GOD OFFERED US
1)
COME to God is
the beginning of the right steps. Four
times in verse 1, God calls his people to COME to Him for true satisfaction.
Often times, we look for people or places, except God, to meet our inner needs,
yet all the while only God is the right ONE we need to come to.
2)
God calls us to
give Him our ears, to listen to Him and to obey Him. Many people listen to many voices but God to find
satisfaction. We need to hear what God
has to tell us.
3)
In v. 6, God
calls us to SEEK Him, to ask and consult Him where and how to meet our inner
thirsts. God is the right person we need to seek for guidance and advice.
HOW DO I KNOW GOD IS RIGHT?
In vv. 8-9, God tells us His way is higher
than our way, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. God uses the distance between the heavens and
the earth to measure the distance between His ways and thoughts to ours. There
is NO comparison. We can just trust Him and His ways. He will never lead us to
a wrong pace.
CONCLUSION
To have
unmet inner thirsts is just being human. We all have. The matter is not if we
have those needs, the matter is where and how we may have our inner needs met.
How may we satisfy those inner thirsts that stop us from living a full and
meaning life? The answer is: Come and
ask God. He is always there to meet our needs.