Jesus was talking about more than just water in this verse; he is also talking about our spiritual thirst and the temptations we face every day, things only he can help with and satisfy.
How often do we wake up in the morning, brush our teeth, comb our hair, get dressed, have a cup of coffee, and step into the day without even a thought of the God who created us and the Savior who died for us?
When we forget God, we soon find out we are drinking from the wrong wells.
In John chapter four Jesus comes to a city in Samaria and sits down at a well, known as Jacob’s well. When Jacob dug this well, little did he know it would be the meeting place of Jesus and a Samaritan woman, and this meeting would change her life. You see, this woman had been drinking from the wrong wells. In the conversation, the woman told Jesus the well is deep, and you have nothing to draw with. Jesus told the woman, “Whoever drinks this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst again.” This got the woman’s attention, so she asked Jesus for this living water. She soon found out Jesus knew all about her past, as he told her about her five husbands and the man she was living with at the time. She left her water pot to go tell others, but she left with living water in her heart. She came to the well to draw water that day, and she met a man who walked on water and gave her thirsty soul much more. The living water from the deep well of the presence of Jesus can change lives.
In II Samuel chapter twelve, we find what God said to David through the prophet Nathan. David had slept with Bathsheba, so he had her husband killed. David drank from the wrong well. He should have been at war with his armies instead of lusting after a married woman. We see that even a man after God’s own heart (see Acts 13:22) can fall to temptation.
God reminded David of all he had done for him. He had let him defeat a bear and a lion and the giant Goliath. He had made David king and given him riches. Then God said if that had been too little, I would have given you more.
The wells of God’s grace and mercy are deep and never run dry.
Grace: getting what you don’t deserve (an unwarranted gift)
Mercy: not getting what you deserve (judgment, and wrath)
Just like David and the woman at the well, we need help with our temptations and desires of the heart. They are deep wells that produce bitter water, for they separate us from God. The Bible is clear: we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Pay close attention to this verse, for if we do not see ourselves as sinners, we may not see ourselves as needing a savior.
Are you thirsty? Do you need a drink? Let the Man that walked on water give you a drink from his well.
Father in heaven, let us come to your well of grace and mercy and drink. Help us to pray, being honest about our desires, wants and temptations. Let us see that our temptations identify our deepest desires so we can lay them at your feet. Amen.
