Today, I was listening to the story of the woman at the well. I stopped in my tracks as Jesus talked with her. He had sent the disciples away to get food and he had quiet for a moment. I can imagine him breathing deeply and looking around. Nobody at the well, until one who could not be seen with the other women in the cool of the mornings approaches. His rest was interrupted. He asked her for a drink. It was problematic for him, a Rabbinical Jew, to ask a samaritan woman for a drink, but here’s what hit me between the eyes:
Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would ask Him, and he would give you living water.” “Sir, said the woman, “You don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do you get this ‘living water’? You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are You? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock.” Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again .But whoever drinks from the water I will give him will never get thirsty again–ever! In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up within him for eternal life.”
“Sir, the woman said to Him, “give me this water so I won’t get thirsty and come here to draw water.” John 4:10-15 HCSB
Translation: I have no idea what you mean, but if I can avoid coming to this well daily, I’m sold. And friend, she missed the point, of course, we all would. She saw this statement as a way to fix an immediate want. She did not realize that he was about to fix an eternal need. Not just for her either! Think of the change that occured in this village after Jesus transformed her. But in this moment, she is you and I. We need an answer, quick. We have an immediate THING, and we are praying for that hard. We are trying to come up with a solution. We forget that the solution is his presence, every time. I don’t know how God will solve the problems I face today, but I do know the answers lie in the time of quiet and rest.
In the garden of Gethsemane, the time had come. The quiet and peace of a garden that he went to many times, now became the grounds of justified fear and agony. He sweat drops of blood. He knew what he was about to do. We spend so much of our time in what ifs or what haves. Our concern for so much that we have no control. We do not know the future. We do not know tomorrow. We can plan and wonder, but we do not know. Think about how much time you think about all the things that have not happened yet and you are not sure will happen. Cast your eyes to Jesus. He was born to die.
We can have peace and rest today because Jesus took on the sin, chaos, agony, and fear and CONQUERED it. Destroyed it.
Let us set aside the fear, our plans for just in case, etc. Paul gave us the pursuits we need to have. Need. Read with me.
“But you, man of God, run from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the faith; take hold of eternal life that you were called to and have made a good confession about in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:11-12 HCSB
And we find our rest.
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Brilliant Cara ! So good !