My high school football coach made us run wind sprints during pre-season practice in the brutally hot, August heat of central Kansas. We all lined up for water when we had a chance. This is probably the thirstiest I have ever been.

What is the thirstiest you have ever been? Were you also out on the sports field, hot and sweaty? Maybe you were working on the farm or on an outdoor project. Or was it a long hike on a hot day when you didn’t bring enough water? Or maybe you’ve never been really thirsty.

Most of us live in climate-controlled comfort. Our homes and vehicles are air conditioned. We carry water bottles or stop at a convenience store for a soda. Most of us have not experienced desperate thirst and dehydration.

That level of thirst, that lack of water can have dangerous effects. Recently, a hiker on the Billy Goat Trail in Potomac, MD had to be rescued because of the intense heat and his lack of water. He became dazed and confused and lost his way. The Montgomery County Fire crew rescued him and he was transported to a hospital.*

Matthew 5:6 says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (NIV) The word thirst describes an intense desire for water. How intense is your desire to be righteous? Is it a powerful thirst in your life?

*Dana Hedgpeth, "It’s too hot for the Billy Goat Trail, experts warn, after more than a dozen people are rescued in the heat," The Washington Post, August 13, 2021, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/it-e2-80-99s-too-hot-for-the-billy-goat-trail-experts-warn-after-more-than-a-dozen-people-are-rescued-in-the-heat/ar-AANhYOc.

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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.