Key Text: John 4:1-30
There is a hole in our lives so deep, a longing so great that can only be quenched by one thing. That is God Himself. A hole that seems to be easily masked in the longing for more of whatever earthly thing we believe will satisfy us. And we all have that thing, sometimes we mistake it for anxiety that’s always sitting under the surface.
But maybe that longing for more isn’t a bad feeling but a necessary one. Designed to keep us running back to the one who can fill us. What if, that longing we try desperately to fill is our daily reminder to keep seeking God and letting the longing be the reminder to go and get filled?
Four things we can learn from the woman at the well:
1.She Scheduled Her Day to Avoid Her Deepest Pains
v.4-9 This Samaritan woman, who found herself drinking at the well with the Saviour of the world, went to this well, at this hour on purpose. Samaria was a dessert town and the heat of the day was not the time to be filling up the jars of water. But this is what she did. She planned her day to try to escape the pain of her shame. To avoid running into the other people of the village.
Drawing water alone in the heat of the day tells us that she was a social outcast. Yet Jesus found her there.
She was lost in a sea of her own brokenness. Most likely living under the assumption that there was no fix for her, she was too far gone. (Does this sound familiar?) Rather than confronting her reality, she planned her life to enable her to stay that way, more concerned about her safety than her happiness.
Yet, there Jesus was, sitting by the well asking for a drink. Jesus, the Saviour of the world, asks an outcast to help Him.
In God’s eyes, no one is too far gone. He has a purpose for each of us. He’ll never let us be alone. He is always right there.
The question is, are we willing to engage Him?
2.She Stayed With Jesus.
Jesus was unfazed by her sin. Instead He brought comfort to her. She was curious to know more. She asked him v.9-12
How can you ask me for a drink?
Where can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob?
It would have been easy for her to leave. To be so overwhelmed by her problems that she doesn’t even try to understand them. But she didn’t run and she didn’t go but she pursued. She was curious about His promises and He didn’t back away no matter how deep her sin ran through.
He’s here waiting for us to do the same. He doesn’t see how deep our sin is, He sees what’s deep in our heart.
He sees our purpose and the beauty in which He created us. There is no running from Him no matter how hard we try. Jesus is always thereweSo what would happen if owe sat for a while? What if we sit in His presence? We drew a little closer and we asked those questions for ourself.
Crack the surface open and allow Him space to fill, which can only come with staying. When we stay, we can be filled.
3.She Received His Filling. v.13-15
Jesus offered the living water.
She stayed with Jesus long enough to see Him. She didn’t just gaze over the surface but she inquired and she was open to change.Maybe even more important is the fact that Jesus stayed and showed her He had what she had been looking for all along.
That cry of her heart, that unmet expectation, that anxiety that sat under the surface, that stirring in her heart and that thirst she could never quench could all be met in an instant through Jesus.
Jesus offered, He’s always offering. That is one thing that we know. He offers us all salvation, truth, filling, and a place to never thirst again. The question is will we receive it?
The giving of Jesus is a guarantee. The receiving on our part is the stumbling block.
Receiving is hard. Especially when we believe we’re too far gone. Perhaps you had faith enough to receive salvation but you’re struggling to have faith enough to advance it.
Our receiving is not a destination. It’s an action. A daily choice that we never cease to do. It’s in the receiving that our satisfaction is quenched.
4.She Desired to Go and Do. v.28-42
So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”
When the woman believed, she immediately ran off to tell others. The filling not only filled her longing but it gave her a new desire to use the energy to go out and live her life with renewed purpose.
The woman at the well is an example of love, truth, redemption and acceptance.
We are not designed to fill from an empty cup, because when we run dry, we reach for an easy and often temporary source of comfort. But choosing to live filled, to receive His filling daily allows that to overflow into all aspects of our lives.
For some the longing may never go away this side of glory but let that longing be a reminder to come and get filled. And in the filling, may you have the energy to go out and live your God-given purpose.
Creating a life well-lived is found in Christ alone. Let Him do the work. Let Him be your healer and your guide. Come back to Him daily, for He is the living water and He alone allows us to live well.
Get filled and we will never thirst again.
Through Christ we can be filled up and find everything we need.
- Face our deepest pains & hurts with Christ
- Stay with Jesus
- Receive His filling
- Allow Him to empower us to fulfil our life’s purpose