"Desert Springs" May 17 Readings: 2 Samuel 23-24, John 2:13–3:15, Psalm 63, Proverbs 13:7-8

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Reading the Bible in 2023

Each day this year we will read a selection from the Old Testament, the New Testament, a portion of the Psalms, and part of Proverbs. By the end of the year, you will have read the entire Bible. We read this way to give you a bit of variety. In reading four portions of God's word in a day, one of them is bound to speak to your life!

NOTE: if you get behind, do not give up. Read today's readings and try to catch up when you have a chance. The goal is not to "accomplish a task" but to meet God in his word. Read the word. Also, if you are short on time, READ GOD'S WORD and skip my devotional!

Bible Readings: 2 Samuel 23-24, John 2:13–3:15, Psalm 63, Proverbs 13:7-8

    Scriptures linked to Bible Gateway in ESV version 

Daily Devotional: Desert Springs 

A few years back I completed a marathon in the New Mexico desert, trudging over a mountain, through deep sand, and across the desert flats in searing heat. One thing I learned that day - walking in the desert creates a deep thirst. It didn't seem to matter how much water and Gatorade I drank, I was always craving more.

David spoke, in Psalm 63, of the thirst of a deer in the wilderness.
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
    my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
    as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

In a dry and desolate land, a land without water, David experienced thirst. This world offers so many types of poison water; libations that look satisfying but do not quench the soul's thirst. Money. Pleasure. Entertainment. Selfish ambition and achievement. All present themselves as the satisfaction of the soul, but they do not provide what they promise.

This world is a desert, a spiritual wasteland. The best it offers is mirages that cannot slake the deep thirst of the human heart. If we seek contentment, joy, and life from this world we will be deeply disappointed.

But David knew where to go for the living water, the water of life. He eagerly sought God and thirsted for him. Not just his blessings or the good things he gives, but for God himself. His desire for God was so strong that his body actually felt faint!

God is the source of life and those who seek him will be satisfied.

Father, you are my life. All too often I forget that and seek the bitter water of this world or dive into the mirages that deceive. But you are life and hope and joy, and I seek you. 

 

Consider God's Word:

Did one of these passages speak strongly to you today? Which one? 
Is there sin in your life that needs to be confessed and dealt with that was revealed in one of these passages? 
Is there a struggle in your life that one of these passages spoke to? 

Where do you look for the water of life?
Do you look to money or possessions for sustenance? To other people? Pleasure?
Or do you go to the source of the living water of life?




 

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