“Sir,” the woman said to him, “you have no bucket and the well is deep; where then do you get this living water? Surely you’re not greater than our ancestor Jacob, are you? For he gave us this well and drank from it himself, along with his sons and his livestock.” Jesus replied, “Everyone who drinks some of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.” —John 4:11–14
Why is it that it is often easy for us to argue with Jesus? As His followers, all the promises of Scripture are ours, yet, like this woman at the well, we often question His plan, or His ability, or His compassion, or His love. If we do not see a visible sign of how Jesus will accomplish a promise, we often dismiss it. Our understanding of His ability to achieve a promise is inconsequential, yet unfortunately, we still lean all too often on our own veiled wisdom.
The Bible tells us:
“Trust in then LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight.” —Proverbs 3:5–6
In our verses for today, Jesus was speaking figuratively to the woman, while she took Him literally, questioning His ability to retrieve water from such a deep well. Unbeknownst to her, the depth of Jacob’s well was nothing in comparison to the depth of the wells of her own human heart. As we allow Jesus to draw out of our wells our hurt, or disappointment, or need, or desires, or insecurities, or indifference, or whatever else might be in there, He replenishes them with the living water of the precious Holy Spirit. He fills and heals us from within. Indeed, says Jesus, he gives us a spring of water which will take us into eternal life.
“On the last day of the feast, the greatest day, Jesus stood up and shouted out, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says, “From within him will flow rivers of living water.”’ (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.)” —John 7:37–39
Satisfaction—is there not a wonderful sweetness to that word? Look around at the unsatisfied. We are ever craving beings and yet all the creature comforts of this temporal world are imperfect and not lasting. Look how hard people work to achieve an end to their appetites while all the while singing, “I can’t get no satisfaction.” The world yields but transient satisfaction. Jesus says, “I am offering to you what will truly satisfy—believe Me!”
“And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say: ‘Come!’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wants it take the water of life free of charge.” —Revelation 22:17
Become More
“Our misgivings begin within ourselves when we tell Jesus that our circumstances are just a little too difficult for Him. We say, ‘It’s easy to say, “Trust in the Lord,” but a person has to live; and besides, Jesus has nothing with which to draw water–no means to be able to give us these things.’ If we are honest, we will admit that we never have misgivings or doubts about ourselves, because we know exactly what we are capable or incapable of doing. But we do have misgivings about Jesus. My misgivings arise from the fact that I search within to find how He will do what He says.” —Oswald Chambers
Further Reflections
“Jesus knows that apart from living water we are all thirsty. We try to fill our wells with all sorts of things that will never satisfy. But the living water Jesus offers will allow us to never thirst again. ‘I send forth the river of life now to refresh and bring life to those who thirst after Me. I dry up the streams of inspiration before the feet of the proud. Those who glory in their own thoughts shall not drink. Those who pursue the paths of human reason shall be as a desert. I Myself am the direct source and the only source of eternal life. Every other well is dry. Every other pursuit is vain. But you shall be a fountain flowing forth whose streams shall not fail, for I, the Lord your God, dwell in the midst of you.’” —Frances L. Roberts
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.
O to grace how great a debtor
—Robert Robinson
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.