Being thirsty is not a pleasant feeling, as anyone who has felt completely parched, mouth so dry that you are unable to speak, can testify. There are times when this is natural (a hot day, after physical exercise, after eating salty food, for example) and times when extreme thirst is a sign of underlying problems (I sought medical help when I was constantly thirsty and was diagnosed as diabetic: in this instance, my thirst highlighted the fact that my body had a bigger problem that could not simply be relieved by drinking.) In every case of thirst, being thirsty underlines that we need water.
It is not necessarily pleasant to admit that we are thirsty for God. Being spiritually thirsty means coming to the end of our own resources, admitting that our own solutions to thirst do not actually work. Jeremiah brought a serious word to God’s people: ‘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.’ (Jer 2:13) God is the only One who can satisfy our spiritual thirst. Jesus said ‘Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.‘ (John 7:38) All too often, however, we dig our own wells; we come up with our own solutions which we think will satisfy us. It is only when we reach the end of ourselves that we can admit before God how desperate we are for Him and then we can discover the truths of the promises He has made to pour out water on thirsty land. (Is 44:3) Being thirsty is not pleasant, but it is the first step to admitting our need. As we come before God in our desperation and thirst, He has promised to quench that thirst and revive us. He, the spring of living water, will refresh us and satisfy us. All our fountains are in Him (Ps 87:7).