Thirsty

READ

We're all thirsty for something. Meaning. Connection. Purpose. Security. The ache for "more" is universal—it's written into our design. But the question that shapes our entire lives is this: Where do we go when we're thirsty? In today’s passage, God confronts His people with a devastating diagnosis.

Let’s take a moment to read Jeremiah 2:13:

"My people have committed two sins: they have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."

REFLECT

Notice that God doesn't accuse His people of losing their thirst. They're still longing, still reaching, still trying to satisfy their souls. The problem isn't that they stopped wanting; it's that they started wanting in the wrong direction. This is the subtle danger of idolatry. It rarely looks like bowing down to golden statues. More often, it just looks like misdirected desire. We don't stop longing for more—we just aim our longing at the wrong wells. And God identifies this as not one sin but two.

First, we forsake the spring of living water. We turn away from the Source who created us, knows us, and loves us. We stop bringing our deepest needs to the only One who can truly meet them. Maybe we get busy, distracted, or disillusioned. Maybe we're angry at God or just feel distant. Whatever the reason, we stop drinking from the well that never runs dry.

Second, we dig our own cisterns. We look for alternatives, substitutes, things that might satisfy us if we just pursue them hard enough. The tragic irony? These cisterns are broken. They can't hold water. We pour our time, energy, money, and hearts into them, and they leak. They leave us just as thirsty as before, often more so.

What do broken cisterns look like today? Sometimes they're obvious: addiction, unhealthy relationships, materialism. But often they're more subtle. We scroll social media hoping for connection but end up feeling lonelier. We chase career success hoping for significance but discover the next promotion still doesn't answer our deepest questions. We pursue romance hoping someone will complete us but find that even good relationships can't fill the God-shaped void within us.

Here's what makes this so dangerous: chasing broken cisterns doesn't just leave us thirsty. It makes our faith inauthentic. We can say the right things, attend church, and post inspirational quotes, but if we're secretly running to other sources when life gets hard, people will notice the disconnect between what we claim and how we actually live.

And this matters because what we model, we multiply. Our children watch where we turn for comfort. Our friends observe what we prioritize when stressed. Our communities see what we celebrate and what we avoid. If we're drinking from broken cisterns, we're teaching others to do the same.So how do we break this cycle? Radical change requires radical transparency. We have to get honest—first with ourselves, then with God, and eventually with others—about where we're really finding our source.

When others look at your life, where do they see your source? Not where you wish they saw it or where you talk about it being, but where your actual choices and reactions reveal it to be. What do you reach for first when you're anxious? Where does your mind go when you have a free moment? What are the things you hope will fill you but consistently leave you empty?

These questions aren't meant to shame you. They're meant to wake you up. Because here's the beautiful truth: God isn't just confronting His people in Jeremiah 2:13—He's also inviting them back. He calls Himself "the spring of living water." Not a cistern that has to be filled and refilled, but a spring—an endless, bubbling source that never runs dry, never runs out, never disappoints.

God wants to be your source. Not your add-on, not your backup plan, not your Sunday morning obligation. Your source. The place you run to first, not last. The well you drink from daily, not just in emergencies. The spring that refreshes your soul so consistently that your life begins to overflow with authenticity, peace, and purpose.

This is what makes faith real instead of performative. When you're truly drinking from the spring of living water, you stop performing for others and start living from a place of fullness. Your faith becomes authentic because it's actually sustaining you, not just decorating your life. And when people see that authenticity—when they watch you navigate difficulty with peace, loss with hope, success with gratitude—they start to wonder where you're getting what you have. Your life becomes an invitation for others to find the same source.

RESPOND

Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.

• What are the "broken cisterns" you tend to dig—the things you reach for hoping they'll fill you but that always leave you empty?

• If someone observed your life this past week, where would they say your source is? What evidence would they point to?

• What would it look like practically for you to return to "the spring of living water" daily? What helps you reorient toward God as your true source?

REST

Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:

Lord, forgive me for the times I've forsaken You and dug broken cisterns instead. I confess that I've looked for life in places that can't provide it. Draw me back to You, the spring of living water. Teach me to bring my deepest thirsts to You first, and fill me so completely that my life becomes an authentic testimony to Your sufficiency. Help me model for others what it looks like to truly drink from a source that never runs dry. Amen.