Source of living water

Anna, a single middle aged woman, came home after a stressful day at work. She lived alone in her tiny, modest apartment. She sat down on the worn couch. Every day was the same. "Life is so empty," she thought desperately. "I am all alone".
In a posh suburb, Gary, a successful businessman, sat on his terrace. Everything seemed ok from the outside. Nevertheless, something was missing. He could not say what he was missing. He felt an inner emptiness.
Different people. Different circumstances. Same problem. People can not find true satisfaction from people, possessions, pastimes or pleasure. For them, life is like the center of a donut - empty.

At the Jacob's Fountain

Jesus had left Jerusalem because of the resistance of the Pharisees. When he returned to the province of Galilee, he had to go through Samaria, an area shunned by Jews. The Assyrians had conquered Jerusalem, the Israelites were deported to Assyria, and foreigners were led into the area to maintain peace. There was a mingling of the people of God with Gentiles, which was despised by the "pure Jews".

Jesus was thirsty; the midday heat had taken its toll. He came to Jacob's Well outside the city of Sychar, from which water was drawn. At the well, Jesus met a woman and asked her for water so he could begin a conversation with her. Such behavior was considered taboo among Jews. (Joh 4,7-9)This was because she was a despised Samaritan and a woman. She was shunned because she had a bad reputation. She had five husbands and lived with a man and was alone in a public place. Unrelated men and women did not speak to each other in public places.

These were the cultural limitations that Jesus ignored. He sensed that she had a deficiency, an unfilled emptiness within herself. She sought security in human relationships but couldn't find it. Something was missing, but she didn't know what it was. She hadn't found her wholeness in the arms of six different men and had likely been abused and humiliated by some of them. Divorce laws allowed a man to "dismiss" a woman for trivial reasons. She was rejected, but Jesus promised to quench her spiritual thirst. He told her he was the long-awaited Messiah. Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again; the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.Joh 4,10, 13-14).
She enthusiastically told the people in her town about her experience, and many believed in Jesus as the Savior of the world. She began to understand and experience this new life—that she could be completely in Christ. Jesus is the source of living water: “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, which are broken and cannot hold water.” (Jer 2,13).
Anna, Gary and the Samaritan drank from the well of the world. The water from that could not fill the void in her life. Even believers can experience this emptiness.

Do you feel empty or lonely? Is there anyone or anything in your life trying to fill that emptiness? Is your life lacking in joy and peace? God's answer to these feelings of emptiness is to fill the void in your life with His presence. You were created for a relationship with God. You were created to experience the sense of belonging, acceptance, and appreciation from Him. You will continue to feel incomplete if you try to fill that void with anything other than His presence. Through a continuing, close relationship with Jesus, you will find the answer to all of life's challenges. He will not disappoint you. Your name is on every one of His many promises. Jesus is both human and divine, and like any friendship you share with someone else, it takes time for a relationship to develop. This means spending time together, sharing everything, listening, and speaking about whatever comes to mind. "How precious, O God, is your mercy! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings." They may enjoy the bounty of your house, and from a stream of joy you give them drink. With you is the fountain of all life; in your light we see light. (Ps 36,9).

by Owen Visagie