Brock’s Praise Thursday Devotionals:

#1

We all know what it feels like to be physically thirsty, but Jesus is talking about something even deeper—a spiritual thirst. God created us with a desire to be satisfied, loved, and fulfilled. The challenge is that we often look for those things in places that can never truly provide them.

John 7:37-38 tells us, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

I know I’m guilty of putting other things ahead of Jesus at times, thinking they’ll bring the satisfaction or fulfillment I’m looking for. But eventually, those things always fall short.

What encourages me about this passage is that Jesus knows our tendency to do that. He continually invites us back to Him, reminding us that He alone can satisfy the deepest needs of our hearts. Where other things fail, He remains faithful, ready to fill us with His living water.

So today, I’m praising Jesus because He lovingly redirects my heart and reminds me that true satisfaction is found in Him alone.

#2

Another bit of encouragement that has really spoken to my heart recently comes from 1 Peter 5:7, it says, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

If I can be honest with you for a moment, anxiety is something I struggle with. Between college, work, relationships, life decisions, and wondering about the future, it can be easy to carry around a lot of stress and worry. My tendency is to keep those things bottled up and try to handle them on my own, but that usually just leaves me feeling overwhelmed.

What stood out to me in this verse was the word cast. It means to throw something forcefully in a specific direction. Think about that for a second—God isn’t asking us to gently hand over our worries. He’s inviting us to throw them onto Him.

There’s something freeing about remembering that some burdens were never meant for us to carry. God cares deeply about every fear, every stress, and every uncertainty we face. And because He cares for us, we can trust Him with those things.

So today, whatever is weighing on your heart, I want to encourage you to cast it in the direction of the One who loves you most. It’s a reminder I need every day, and maybe it’s one your heart needed today too.

Congratulations to Michelle from Mount Vernon for correcting guessing this week’s Name That Tune! It was “GOODBYE YESTERDAY” by ELEVATION RHYTHM! Tune in next week for your chance to win!

Thanks for listening to the Afternoon Drive!

-Brock Hankins