God thirsts for His people to know Him, love Him, and remember Him. St. Augustine tells us that “God thirsts that we might thirst for Him.” Thirst indicates a life sustaining desire, a deep internal yearning that leads us to what is needed for survival. And God thirsts that we might thirst for Him, because we are created by God, and for God. It’s a hard concept for our finite minds to grasp, that God created us for Himself and He never ceases to draw us toward Him. Yet, when we sin, we are turning away from God. We are quenching that thirst with that sin, or the pleasure of that sin, and in essence no longer longing for Him, but for the things of this world that will allot us only temporary happiness. This world can’t fill us with the joy and fulfillment our hearts truly desire. Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust [thirst] in him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” So are you really thirsty for the God of the universes and galaxies? J. Hampton Keathley, III gives us a execellent illustration about thirsting for God. He wrote: “In an ancient tale from India about a young man who was seeking God. He went to a wise old sage for help. “How can I find God?” he asked the old man. The old man took him to a nearby river. Out they waded into the deep water. Soon the water was up just under their chins. Suddenly the old man seized the young man by the neck and pushed him under the water. He held the young man down until the young man was flailing the water in desperation. Another minute and he may well have drowned. Up out of the water the two of them came. The young man was coughing water from his lungs and still gasping for air. Reaching the bank he asked the man indignantly, “What did that have to do with my finding God?” The old man asked him quietly, “While you were under the water, what did you want more than anything else?” The young man thought for a minute and then answered, “I wanted air. I wanted air more than anything else?” The old man replied, “When you want God as much as you wanted air, you will find him.”