Psalm 63: Thirsty For God

Introduction:

‘The Devil’s Highway’, is a name that has been given to the stretch of desert that Mexican immigrants have crossed in order to illegally enter the United States. Many have died trying to cross the desert from dehydration and heat stroke. There are six stages of heat illness and dehydration, heat stress, heat fatigue, heat fever, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and finally heat stroke. Heat stress, the first stage, has been suffered by many of us when we were severely sunburnt, and we have been dizzy and stumbled at the end of a long hike. In the desert the second stage of heat fatigue comes next where because you are sweating profusely, and dehydrating even by the air you breathe out of your lungs. The spit in your mouth becomes pasty, your eyes become dry and scratchy, and you begin to breathe heavier. Next is heat fever where you experience a fever and become dizzy and delirious, and your thinking becomes impaired at this point. Fourthly comes the heat cramps, where because your body has been dumping salt, your muscles begin to cramp and you become clumsy and cause minor injuries to yourself, eighty percent of people can survive if they are treated at this point. Fifthly comes heat exhaustion here your body is reaching it’s end you are experiencing headaches, high fever, vomiting, and hallucinations. Then there is the final stage of hyperthermia, by now your heart is pumping hard and fast trying to move your thick blood through your veins, those with poor heart conditions would have died by now. Blood capillaries send a rush of blood to the skins surface to try and fight the rising temperature of your body now that your sweat has run out. This causes your skin to become extremely tender, and some have been found naked having stripped of their clothes to relieve the sensitivity of their skin. With the high temperatures and no water your organs begin shutting down until finally you die. Some have died in a short period of time some died within a few days. The reason I am sharing these facts with you is to highlight the need for water while living in the desert. With that in mind lets turn to Psalm 63.