Christ puts together, as if they were all but contemporaneous, 'thou
wouldst have asked of Me,' and 'I would have given thee.' The hand on
the telegraph transmits the message, and back, swift as the lightning,
flashes the response. The condition, the only condition, and the
indispensable condition, of possessing that water of life—the summary
expression for all the gifts of God in Jesus Christ, which at the last
are essentially God Himself—is the desire to possess it turned to Jesus
Christ. Is it not strange that men should not desire; is it not strange
and sad that such foolish creatures are we that we do not want what we
need; that our wishes and needs are often diametrically opposite? All
men desire happiness, but some of us have so vitiated our tastes and
our palates by fiery intoxicants that the water of life seems
dreadfully tasteless and unstimulating, and so we will rather go back
again to the delusive, poisoned drinks than glue our lips to the river
of God's pleasures.
But it is not enough that there should be the desire. It must be turned
to Him. In fact the asking of my text, so far as you and I are
concerned, is but another way of speaking the great keyword of personal
religion, faith in Jesus Christ. For they who ask, know their
necessity, are convinced of the power of Him to whom they appeal to
grant their requests, and rely upon His love to do so. And these three
things, the sense of need, the conviction of Christ's ability to save
and to satisfy, and of His infinite love that desires to make us
blessed—these three things fused together make the faith which receives
the gift of God.
Remember, brethren, that another of the scriptural expressions for the
act of trusting in Him, is _taking_, not asking. You do not need to
ask, as if for something that is not provided. What we all need to do
is to open our eyes to see what is there. If we like to put out our
hands and take it. Why should we be saying, 'Give me to drink,' when a
pierced hand reaches out to us the cup of salvation, and says, 'Drink
ye all of it'? 'Ho, every one that thirsteth, come … and drink …
without money and without price.'
There is no other condition but desire turned to Christ, and that is
the necessary condition. God cannot give men salvation, as veterinary
surgeons drench unwilling horses—forcing the medicine down their
throats through clenched teeth. There must be the opened mouth, and
wherever there is, there will be the full supply. 'Ask, and ye shall
receive'; take, and ye shall possess.