Saint Louis, Missouri, United States - Lutheran Hour Ministries 2014 Daily Lenten Devotion "EXTREME THIRST" by Reverend Wayne Palmer Sunday, 30 March 2014 - Read Psalm 143

Saint Louis, Missouri, United States - Lutheran Hour Ministries 2014 Daily Lenten Devotion "EXTREME THIRST" by Reverend Wayne Palmer Sunday, 30 March 2014 - Read Psalm 143: A Psalm by David.
1 Hear my prayer, Yahweh.
    Listen to my petitions.
    In your faithfulness and righteousness, relieve me.
2 Don’t enter into judgment with your servant,
    for in your sight no man living is righteous.
3 For the enemy pursues my soul.
    He has struck my life down to the ground.
    He has made me live in dark places, as those who have been long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me.
    My heart within me is desolate.
5 I remember the days of old.
    I meditate on all your doings.
    I contemplate the work of your hands.
6 I spread out my hands to you.
    My soul thirsts for you, like a parched land.
Selah.
7 Hurry to answer me, Yahweh.
    My spirit fails.
Don’t hide your face from me,
    so that I don’t become like those who go down into the pit.
8 Cause me to hear your loving kindness in the morning,
    for I trust in you.
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
    for I lift up my soul to you.
9 Deliver me, Yahweh, from my enemies.
    I flee to you to hide me.
10 Teach me to do your will,
    for you are my God.
Your Spirit is good.
    Lead me in the land of uprightness.
11 Revive me, Yahweh, for your name’s sake.
    In your righteousness, bring my soul out of trouble.
12 In your loving kindness, cut off my enemies,
    and destroy all those who afflict my soul,
    For I am your servant.
TEXT: And my tongue sticks to my jaws (see Psalm 22:15).
Jesus has used powerful imagery to describe His thirst: poured out like water, heart melted like wax, strength dried up. Now His tongue sticks to His jaws.
He has had nothing to drink since the Last Supper, unless perhaps the angel that ministered to Him during His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane gave him some liquid refreshment. But even in that intense prayer in the Garden, Jesus began pouring Himself out for us. Luke tells us His sweat "became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (see Luke 22:44). From that moment on no water or other drink was permitted Him.
Hanging naked on the cross, under the blazing sun, Jesus grows more and more dehydrated. He is so thirsty His tongue sticks to His jaws. The Roman soldiers fill a sponge with wine vinegar and hold it in front of His lips, but just beyond His reach, it's part of their cruel mockery (see Luke 23:36). Only in the moments before His death-after Jesus has finished paying for our sins-will He actually receive a drink.
Jesus gave us a similar description of hell in His account of the rich man and Lazarus. Here, the rich man "in Hades, being in torment ... called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Child, ... between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us'" (see Luke 16:23-26).
Jesus suffered the fires of hell and great thirst on the cross so you and I need never go thirsty.
THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, You endured the pangs of hell in my place. Guard me in this faith as You bring me through this life to Your glorious home. Amen.
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