God Thirsts to Be Thirsted After (PrayerLife)

Trillium in the woods across from my house.

Every once in a while some love comes my way from my sons, and from Linda. It may come in the form of a gift, or a helpful sacrificial act, or by loving words. I love Linda and my sons. While my love for them is not for the sole purpose of being loved in return, I like it when it happens. If time were to go by without reciprocity I would long for it.

While God is, in his essence, love, God also longs to be loved in return. This is the desire of every loving parent, and in this God is no exception. Craig Keener writes: "God is self-sufficient, but Augustine rightly declared that "God thirsts to be thirsted after." His love makes him vulnerable to those he loves, if we dare use such language to describe his desire for intimacy with us." (Keener, The NIV Application Commentary: Revelation, 181) 

One way I satiate God's thirst to be loved is in my praying. I often find myself saying "I love you, Lord" to him. When I think of how God has changed my life, and how God has rescued me and blessed me, it is natural and easy to express my love to him.