Several years ago, a popular Bible teacher, author, and speaker experienced one of the deepest betrayals of all… her husband had been unfaithful to her. She had tried for years to restore her marriage, but that was only one-sided. This devastated her. The betrayal ran deep into her veins and cut into heart like a knife. While she had plenty of people speaking into her, she couldn’t get past it. She wanted to forgive and move on, but she couldn’t. She just wanted to stay in bed all day and never do ministry again. It was at her lowest point she said that she did what many Christians forget. She went to the Word of God and stayed there. She drank. At times, she guzzled. Eventually, she found freedom, wholeness.
This woman was that Samaritan woman in John 4… broken. Very broken. But she, like the woman at the well, accepted the gift Jesus offered… LIVING WATER. Jesus met both of them in their brokenness and offered them a way out, a brand-new life. When I read this, I thought of three girls… one I just met, one I don’t know, and one I know very well. All three of them are broken. All three of them need to know abundant life. I have committed to REALLY pray for them… that they would gladly take this gift and drink. Then I thought about some of the things I’ve been going through. I know that the living water will restore what has been taken from me as well. So, I will go to God’s Word and stay there too. If I need to, I will inhale it.
Here’s the thing… this is a beautiful gift Jesus offers us. We may ask why? What is it such a special gift? The answer is in its healing power. When we drink of it, it seeps into our veins, into every inner part of our being, bringing life to us… life we may have known but is now gone, or life we have never known. Here are four things the living water does for us…
Breathes! The living water breathes life into our struggling bodies. Without the living water flowing through us, we will be stuck in our sin, our confusion, our despair. We will remain in a dead state. But Jesus doesn’t want this for any of us. He wants us to REALLY LIVE.
Opens! The living water opens our eyes to see beyond our struggle, beyond our hurt. It opens our eyes to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The living water opens our eyes to see through a new lens… the lens that God looks through. Hence, we see what God sees.
Awakens! The living water awakens our spirits and brings the Spirit of God to do a GREAT work in our lives. It revives us from that dead state we may be in. It restores in us an excitement and joy again.
Breaks! The living water breaks chains, addictions, generational bondage, and our selfish attitudes. It breaks through those thick walls we may have built up. It also brings those broken pieces to wholeness.
I would say this is an incredible gift the Lord is offering each of us. But it won’t do what it was meant to do if we don’t drink it in… constantly. Maybe you need to go there and stay awhile. Because as you drink, that water cleanses out the dirty places, filling each crevice with the life that only God offers. It flows through our bodies until all our organs are brought back to life again. I know I will drink more of God’s Word today. I hope you will too.