Are You Are Thirsty?
The sermon encourages listeners to acknowledge their thirst for God and to return to Christ for comfort and refreshment.
John Wesley explores the deep spiritual thirst expressed by the Psalmist in Psalm 42, illustrating the longing for God's presence during times of suffering and distance. He emphasizes that, like a deer searching for water, our souls yearn for God, especially when we feel abandoned or dry in our spiritual lives. Wesley encourages believers to recognize that this thirst can stem from neglecting spiritual practices or from a divine sense of distance, yet reminds us that we can always return to God, who invites us to come and drink from Him. The sermon highlights the importance of engaging in the means of grace to quench our spiritual thirst and maintain closeness to God.
Text
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Psalm 42:1&2 The Psalmist presented to us in these verses, and in the rest of the Psalm, is a sad and downhearted person. It is unclear why, but he is certainly going through some kind of suffering, which is leaving him feeling thirsty for God. It is as if God is not there. The picture he gives us is of a deer longingly looking for streams of water, panting, breathless and thirsty but not finding the streams that were once there.
It would seem that animals always remember where they have found water in the past and it must be very frustrating to go back and find none. The Psalmist remembers going to the Temple, leading the crowd, shouting for joy and praising God but these things are now only a distant memory and seem to bring as much comfort as a dry riverbed. We sometimes feel like the Psalmist but, if the truth be told, we are hesitant to advertise the fact. Why is this so? Well, sometimes because we know it is of our own making.
In the turmoil which is sometimes our busy lives we are tempted to neglect those things which keep us close to God: prayer, reading the Bible, receiving the Sacrament, fellowshipping with other Christians and fasting to name but a few of the means of grace that God has put in place to keep us satisfied. The means of grace are like streams of water and they water us when we come under them, satisfying and refreshing us. But sometimes, this longing is not of our own making. God just seems to be distant and the more He seems to be distant the more we believe that He is distant.
What can we learn from the Psalmist if this is our situation? Well, notice that he still calls out to the God who is distant, just as Jesus would one day cry out to the God who He felt had forsaken Him and commend His spirit into His hands. Just as the thirsty dear returns to dry river beds, so too the born-again soul knows it can return to the Christ who said: "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink." For thee my thirsty soul doth pant, While in this desert land I live; And hungry as I am and faint, Thy love alone can comfort give. (425)
Sermon Outline
- The Psalmist's Thirst for God
- The Means of Grace
- Returning to God
- The born-again soul can return to Christ
- Christ's promise: 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink'
Key Quotes
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” — John Wesley
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” — John Wesley
“For thee my thirsty soul doth pant, While in this desert land I live;” — John Wesley
Application Points
- We should not be afraid to acknowledge our thirst for God and to seek Him in prayer and the means of grace.
- We can return to Christ for comfort and refreshment, even when He seems distant.
- We should prioritize the means of grace, such as prayer and reading the Bible, to stay satisfied and refreshed in our walk with God.