My Journey with God
Whoever drinks the
water I give him will never thirst.
(John 4:14, NIV)
“Stacey, God told me you have to go to Ghana!” was the outburst
from our student missions director, Jodi Cahill.
I prayed about it that night and the next morning, and I was
convicted to go. I had tried to go on mission trips before, but had never been
successful in actually going. Before that day, my reasons revolved around
helping people, not about me and God. This time was different. God made me His mission; I realized that God had
arranged for me to go. He knew that if it was only about helping people for my
emotional well-being I would’ve ended up feeling responsible to “save” all of
them myself and I would’ve come back more discouraged than ever.
While in Ghana, I discovered that God makes what seems
impossible possible. Preaching every day for three weeks and twice on Saturday
was a lot of work – it was overwhelming. But a river of living water flowed
into my dry, thirsty soul each time. By the second day I was overflowing. The
Holy Spirit revived me and made me whole. My experience called for a lot of
spiritual preparation, a lot of one-on-one time with God, and definitely some
introspection.
I learned that God alone is the source of fulfillment. “For
what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18, NIV). I
tried for so long to find fulfillment on my own, but I couldn’t. The things of
this world, including human relationships, leave us yearning for more. Only
Christ can quench one’s thirst.
Take it from someone who was dying inside. Jesus said, “If
you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would
have asked him and he would have given you living water… But whoever drinks the
water I give him will never thirst.” (John 4:10-14, NIV).
He’s calling you to experience Him fully, whether it’s
through a mission trip, more of those one-on-one talks, or anything that is
pressing on your heart. So what do you think? Are you thirsty? He is awaiting
your response.
Source: We Shall be
Changed, Stacey Gurgle
