Living Water

Living Water, that was what He told her he could give. Jesus met a woman that day who was dry and thirsty. Her life was cracked and showed all the signs of drought.

This land of Oklahoma has been in a drought for a long time along, with Texas and other states. As a result, there have been devastating fires, crop failure and loss. Some time this summer as I was taking a walk out in the pasture, I noticed a crack, a place where the earth had opened up because of lack of water. As I stood there and looked at it, I thought to myself, what a picture it was. Often our lives get to the place of drought. Because of that, fires happen, things die and cracks appear.

The fires are circumstances that are trying to get us to recognize Jesus the Living Water, the Source of all we need. The things that die are the very precepts that He has spoken to us as they cease to be the guiding truth, perception and filter for our lives. As a result parts of us die also and we lose the empowering grasp of the Holy Spirit. He has not moved but we grow harder, like that earth, and joy, peace, gentleness…life…seems to drain from our splitting open. As cracks become evident in our lives and allow all sorts of enemy attacks, worldly thinking, self absorption and deceptions to enter in.

I have tasted this water and know it’s satisfaction. But, I also know the arid winds of drought on my soul. It is in those moments that I too, like the woman Jesus met, have reached for something else to quench my thirst.

Standing in a Thai prison one hot afternoon I saw the truth of John 4 come alive. There was a woman in our English class, who was the only non-Thai woman in the prison. Because she spoke English she came to be our helper. She was there because she had shot and killed her husband. Upon arriving each week at the prison, we would be escorted to our room full of women and our one non-Thai woman. Someone would come by with two bottles of cold water for me and my friend. One day as we arrived to the class, we immediately noticed that our English speaking woman didn’t look well. Her eyes seemed sunken, her skin was washed out, and her whole countenance seemed altered. When I asked her what was wrong, she explained that she had never drank the water from the prison and that daily someone would bring her water from the prison store. Because of prison regulations, the water could absolutely not be purchased anywhere else. The store had been out of water for four days and our friend had not had anything to drink. She asked for a drink of the water the guards had brought me. I was about to give her some, when the other prisoners began to say no, that she or I would get into trouble for doing so. I thought for a moment and then asked, “Does this water belong to me?” They all nodded. Then I asked, “since this water belongs to me, then I can give it to anyone I want, can’t I?” They nodded again. I was not prepared for what happened next, as she grabbed the bottle of water and drank with total abandon, as if none of us were there with her. Water was rolling down her chin and splashing all over her prison uniform. When she quenched her thirst a little bit, she slowed down and looked around the room. She seemed embarrassed by her display as she realized that she had water all over her. But the moment she came in contact with the water, all else faded and her only desire was for what could satisfy her thirst. We had the opportunity that day, because of the example that had been lived out before us, to share the story of a woman at a well that met Jesus for the first time and how He quenched her thirst. Our English speaking friend did come to know Jesus in that Thai prison.

One of my prayers for this New Year is to learn to drink with total abandon. To be so filled with desire for Him that ALL else fades. I’m asking the Father to keep me mindful to recognize the signs of drought in my life and to sink my roots deeply into streams of Living Water.

Face tipped towards heaven and mouth opened,
Kim

John 4:7-29, Jeremiah 17:5-8, Isaiah 58:11