Saturday, March 2, 2024  

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Today's Hymn
“I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say”

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Behold, I freely give
the living water, thirsty one;
stoop down and drink and live.”
I came to Jesus, and I drank
of that life-giving stream;
my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
and now I live in him.

by Horatius Bonar
Hymn 182, Glory to God
verse 2

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Reflection

Wow. It is all right there. Everything needed to revive our souls is right in this hymn — to stoop down, and to drink. Seems simple, right? Why does it bring to mind the saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink”?

Why stoop? Why not, “Grab a cup of water on your way to running the big race!”? Stoop down.

Wow. This action takes time. It is a humble action. I have recently been considering gratitude as a gateway to humbly receiving God’s grace. When you receive a wonderful gift (truly receive it), you are quiet, dumbfounded. You don’t go on and on about how “They shouldn’t have,” and you don’t have an inner dialogue secretly criticizing the gift or the gift giver. You just don’t. This kind of gratitude makes you feel humbled by the gift — and by the giver. This is stooping. With this humility you are stooping and drinking.

Many times I am thirsty but I don’t take the time to drink. It is an instinct, yet I overrule it because I am too busy. It takes time to respond to this need. I shouldn’t wait to decide to quench my thirst. I should respond to my body’s needs.

In this hymn, we are called “thirsty ones.” Our souls thirst. And when we stoop, we are revived. It starts with gratitude. Then we live in Christ.

You don’t have to do anything — except accept.

Stoop.

Drink.

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Prayer
God, help me remember that with gratitude I can stoop down and drink in your grace, direction, and power. It is already there, waiting for me to accept. Amen.

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Written by Katy Sinclair, Associate Director of Music for Children and Youth

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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