Driven to Drink

"I can't do this..." He exclaimed with a cracked and trembling voice and then looked away from her and straight into my eyes before continuing. "I love her with all my heart, but she is the one who is driving me to drink."

I was asked to sit in on this meeting to help mediate and as I looked at these two people who God had made in His own image and pronounced them as "Very good", the mess of a situation across the desk from me seemed to be anything but "Very good". I had heard the phrase, "You drive me to drink" before and even heard a few song in regards to that thought, but I had never until that moment stopped to really listen to that statement.

Have you ever been pushed to your very limits edge?

Have you ever found yourself to be in the middle of a hurricane experience and looked up into the dark clouds above you where you expected to see bright blue sky and just cried out in sheer frustration?

Paul, who is accredited with speaking such powerful passages of faith in God had something to say about these seasons in life.

"For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life :" ~ 2 Corinthians 1:8

It is a bit shocking because we love to quote things like, "God will never put more on you than you can handle." as if that is Bible. I have heard people throw that out in difficult times, and I have even thrown that out there myself, but the simple fact is God DOES indeed allow times in our life that are more than we can handle.  Before you stone me as a heretic and after you are done searching through your bible to find the passage that says,

"God will never allow more on you than you can take."

just consider this thought with me please.

If there were no place where we are forced to come to a grinding halt in our own strength then there would be no place when we would ever realize that the only way we can truly make it is In the power of Christ in us.

I would venture to suggest to you that if you are in a place in life where the end of what you can do is absolutely gone, that you my friend are in need of a good drink!

So, let's take a minute and just have a drink.

 

I was told by a good friend that a life lived in the psalms will be a life lived well.

I find so much comfort in the psalms and even more so when He drives me to drink.

Did you know that God designed our ability to experience thirst?

In fact, every single thirst that we have was designed by God because every thirst that we have can only be satisfied BY God.

In the above passage, Paul goes on to say that it was the Lord that SUSTAINED them and as thought about this feeling that sometimes overwhelms even the strongest of us and the reason why we struggle I find a similar word for this in Psalms 42.

"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.2   My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?" ~Psalms 42:1-2

Jesus made a statement that really caught my attention.
 

"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying , If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink." ~ John 7:37

 Did you notice what a person had to thirst for in order to come to Jesus? If any man thirsts for things that are good right?If any man thirsts for things that are noble, moral and good right? No.
Did you know that God designed our ability to experience thirst?

In fact, every single thirst that we have was designed by God because every thirst that we have can only be satisfied BY God. So the question is in the middle your crisis, what are you thirsting for?
What is it that you are thirsting for today?
Significance?

You can pursue any avenue you wish to try to gain this and many people do. It is a God implanted thirst, but it was planted with the only way to be satisfied being found IN Him. Our significance will only be found IN Him. If you are being driven to drink for significance, then rest assured the thirst is for Him and will be satisfied IN Him.

Intimacy?

True intimacy is not found in a relationship with anyone other than Christ. We were created to be in fellowship with Him and once we take our thirst to Him we will find fulfillment.

Security?

There has to be a time when each of us come to Him as our strength and shield. He is able to take care of us tomorrow just as He has every day leading up to today.

If you are driven to drink, understand that this is a good thing and that it is an awesome time of choice.

What source will you choose to quench that thirst.

Most people will continue to go back to the same empty wells that frustrated them before. Arms of another that will not satisfy them,substances that rob their very soul from them, faces and jobs that will continue to always hold the measuring stick of approval just out of reach.

"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." ~John 6:35

Driven to drink? This may just be the very best day of your life!


Thanks for sharing this drink with me... I feel so much more refreshed!

Climbing with you,
~Dan