You fill a container with water, set it down, and come back to find it empty. So you fill it again. And again.
Eventually, you’ve got to realize that pouring more into it isn’t going to fix what’s leaking.
That’s the picture Jeremiah gave God’s people:
“They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,
And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
— Jeremiah 2:13, NKJV
God was pointing out two wrongs. They’d walked away from Him, and they’d built their own replacements. They’d traded the One who could give life for something that couldn’t even hold water.
Think about that. They’d put time and effort into building something that could never sustain them.
On Monday, we talked about Jesus being the One who satisfies the deepest hunger of our souls. Jeremiah’s picture brings that closer to home.
Where do we keep going when we feel that ache?
Sometimes, we think we just need more.
A little more recognition at work. A little more reassurance from someone we love. Something else to keep us occupied through another quiet evening.
And those things can offer something real. A good day at work can encourage us. Someone’s reassurance can comfort us. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying life or receiving love.
But we can start asking those good things to do something they were never meant to do.
The person we love can’t be responsible for making us feel whole every moment of every day. Our job can’t be the thing that tells us whether our life matters. We can be grateful for both while trusting God with the deepest parts of who we are.
That goes for getting help, too. Counseling and prescribed medication can serve real needs. We haven’t turned our backs on God just because we’ve asked for help.
The question is where we’re placing our ultimate trust.
Am I receiving this as a gift? Or have I started depending on it as though my life doesn’t mean anything without it?
Am I thankful for what it gives me, or frustrated because it can’t give me everything?
There’s a difference between enjoying a blessing and asking it to be my god.
“For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.”
— Psalm 107:9, NKJV
God’s calling His people back to Him. And we can begin with an honest prayer:
Lord, I’ve been asking this to give me what I need to receive from You.
Maybe we’ve got some misplaced trust to repent of. We can put that trust back where it belongs and still be thankful for the good things God’s given us.
We can bring Him the longing we’ve been trying to quiet.
Before we pour more time, money, or expectation into the same leaking place, let’s stop long enough to ask:
What am I repeatedly asking to satisfy a thirst it was never designed to hold?
