Living Water
Scripture: John 4:10–15 (Click link for scripture in Bible Gateway)
10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” 11 “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? 12 And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” 13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” 15 “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” John 4:10–15 NLT)
Her natural mind (like ours) immediately questioned and challenged God’s gracious promises. She said, “You have no rope, no bucket. This is a deep well. And this is the well our joint ancestor Jacob dug! You think you can compete with him?”
Now, let’s shift gears, from natural to spiritual! Jesus replied, “I’m talking about water to quench the thirst of your soul, to give life to your eternal spirit. The water in Jacob’s Well is necessary for your life, but it’s very temporary. The water I give you will become a bubbling spring inside you, pouring out soul-refreshing, eternal-spirit-life-giving, living water!”
“Please, sir, I’ll have some of that! Then I won’t have to keep coming out here to the well every day!? (Translation) “Oh sir, that sounds lovely! Even though I don’t have a clue what you mean by “living water”! It just sounds so good to hear someone speaking kindly to me, to show me some respect, to promise me more than a beating if I don’t get back to town with the water in time to fix dinner!”
She wanted to believe! Her heart was open even though in her mind she didn’t have a clue what he was talking about! I think she represents a lot of people in our world today. People who are doing their best to keep on keeping on. People for whom life is not much more than doing the work that keeps a paycheck coming in. People for whom relationships haven’t worked very well. People who are hungry and thirsty for a little hope, consideration, and respect. A lot of people want to believe good news!
Prayer:
Father, Like this woman, I want to believe good news! My natural mind, my hurts and disappointments, and my one-track-mind all get in the way. My heart chooses to believe the good news my mind can never completely understand! In Jesus’ Name!