Run Your Race - Stay Hydrated!

“After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, ‘I am thirsty’” (John 19:28).

Ain’t nothing like a cold bottle of water at the finish line!

I always run with a ½ piece of gum in my mouth. Doing so staves off the dreaded “cottonmouth” so common to runners. I know because, every once in a while, I forget my gum and YECH! I hate cottonmouth. And breathing through my mouth just makes it drier! My tongue feels swollen 5X normal size, and there is NO saliva to be found – spitting is like unloading a tube of liquid nails!  

Post-race I’ve found that plain ole water is my best buddy. Sports drinks are next best and colas prove to be like syrup—no thanks! Water is fine.

God created thirst as a warning signal of fluid deficiencies in our bodies. Proper hydration is critical, especially during the hot summer months when sweating is likely profuse, especially when it’s HUMID! A simple rule is to hydrate before and after the race. That can be tricky – too much water before the start lends to tidal waves in the bladder about the 2-mile mark. Unpleasant, if not painful, to say the least!

So the demands of life compare favorably to the rigors of a challenging race course, complete with challenges, set-backs, disappointments, and losses – all of which are draining to the soul. Like a thirsty body, we can find ourselves running thin on hope, determination, and stamina to persevere. And we get weak. Our spiritual “legs” begin to cramp, and our performance wanes.  

Two great insights from Scripture when we’re spiritually thirsty:
1. Jesus understands – on the cross, He uttered, “I thirst” (John 19:28, a fulfillment of the prophecy Psalm 69:21). He knows what it is to be in need, because He was fully human – “the Word made flesh” (John 1:14) and yet, fully God. He understands our frailties (Psalm 103:14). The writer of Hebrews describes Him saying, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in a time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).  Jesus sees, understands, and cares.

He’s the good shepherd (John 10:11) and He knows what we need, and how to get it.

2. His very presence in our souls replenishes in us what we need. Jesus reveals His refreshing strategy in John 4:14, where He says to the woman at the well, “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

How about that? An eternal, spiritual irrigation system that lasts forever,
and quenches the thirst for dry and weary souls! Has He quenched the thirst in your soul?