Thursday, March 13, 2014

Lent Day 8: If You Only Knew

My reading today was PACKED full of revelation. Oh, how I love when the Word proves itself to be living and active. It does, indeed, read me as I read it. So today I took a dive into chapter 4 of John- the story of Jesus and Samaritan Woman at the Well. A few verses really kicked me in the butt (in a good way.)

So maybe you have heard the context of the story of the Woman at the Well, maybe you haven't. If you haven't, a brief synopsis is that this Samaritan woman was getting her water in the heat of the noon sun because she did not want to be around other people. She was, in effect, hiding in plain sight. Her shame held her back from going to the well at the cooler time of the day in the morning, when all the other women would venture out to get their water. So here is a woman, full of shame, about to get rocked by the only One able to restore her. Oh, that we would be so willing to sit and chat with the Master at the well for a few minutes today...

In verse 7- Soon a Samaritan came to draw water and Jesus said to her, "Please, give me a drink." 

Verse 9- The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan. Why are you asking me for a drink?"

Verse 10- (My favorite) Jesus replied, "If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask me, and I would give you living water."

What a response! And I believe Jesus says the same thing to you and me today. Like the Samaritan woman, (who, if you read on, can discover that she had been seeking joy, comfort, and identity in the arms of multiple men, rather than in the everlasting arms of a Savior) we seek to have our wants and our needs fulfilled in all the wrong places and in all the wrong ways. 

And Jesus waits patiently as we cower in our shame and live day-to-day with unfulfilled longings. We expect very little from our relationship with Jesus, so we get very little out of it. 

But what if...

We started believing that our God is who He says He is?

What if we were willing to leave our shame from the past behind and look forward to a future filled with His goodness?

What if we could drink from a well of neverending capacity and purity? 

Questions of identity, worth, and calling can be answered by doing three simple things as outlined in John 4:10:

- Recognize the gift God has for you and see Him for who He is.
- Ask Him for His presence and sustenance in your life.
-Position yourself to receive His living water.


All that we could ever need has already been paid for. We simply need to receive it. 

Come. He is waiting. If you only knew all that He has for you...



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