Matt Nelson - October 1, 2023
Part 1: Thirst
STREAMS IN THE DESERT Thirst 10.1.23 Good Father, We confess we are burdened, weary, and dry. We have searched for life in the systems of death. We carry weights we were not created to carry. We run further into the desert. We are thirsty. Today, we step into your invitation to rest. We join the flowers and birds who do not worry or toil. We choose to live from your overflowing well of grace. We seek first your kingdom. As we draw near to you, would you draw near to us? As we step out of what is comfortable, will you meet us? Would you meet us in our community? Would you meet us in the spaces created for you? Jesus, wellspring of life, Overflow into our dry and weary souls. Saturate us with your peace and presence, As we plant ourselves by the streams of living water. The woman had buckets of water in front of her and yet her soul was a desolate wasteland. Jesus was thirsty from his long journey and yet he was an endless well of living water. John 4:13-14 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 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.” John 6:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. John 7:37-39 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Could it be that we don’t hunger and thirst for Jesus because we’re drinking from the wrong wells? What are the wells I’m drinking from when I’m lonely, angry, bored, tired, or stressed? How to access living water: Come to Jesus Believe in Jesus Abide in Jesus