It was a lot of miles for little legs to pedal. I knew that before we started. What I didn't remember was that little mouths get thirsty too.

My family and I were biking the 8-mile perimeter of Mackinac Island, which is near the point where Lake Huron and Lake Michigan meet. We hadn't gone far when we realized we needed thirst aid. Second-grader Steven was thirsty. Really thirsty. I-can't-go-on thirsty. And the only place to get a drink was 5 miles away.

The irony of it all was the abundance of cool, inviting water. Lake Huron surrounded us, but we didn't dare drink from it for fear of pollution.

We're often in the same predicament spiritually. We are as dry as a parched cyclist, going as hard as we can toward our goals while surrounded by refreshment we are unwilling to drink. But the difference is that our spiritual water is never unsafe; we simply fail to take the time to scoop up a big gulp of it.

David wrote that his soul thirsted for God (Ps. 63:1). But he quenched his thirst by searching out the Lord's power and glory (v.2), by praising His lovingkindness (vv.3-5), and by meditating on His goodness (v.6).

Let's take the thirst aid God offers. There's no reason to go thirsty when He is so near.  — Dave Branon