Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ”Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” Jesus replied, ”If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” John 4:7-10 (NLT)
Dear Lord Jesus, what a great story—you often disrupt our lives, but it’s always that we might, finally, find our delight in you. The more this woman played hide and seek with you, the more you played seek and catch. She’d been on a quest to fill her emptiness in the arms of men, many men, and it left her even more empty. She ran; you pursued. She danced around; you stopped the music. How I praise you that you came to seek and save the lost, not just broadcast an offer from the distance.
Though the details of our stories are different from this nameless Samaritan woman, we often resort to the same foolish strategy—hiding from true love, ignoring your daily mercies, resisting your great compassion.
Jesus, deliver us from our grace allergies—living with an aversion to the gospel. That we choose broken cisterns, dumb idols, and self-help over your love is sheer madness. Grace is for sinners, not for pretenders, posers, and performers. You intend to heal us, not harm us; embrace us, not embarrass us; shower us with compassion, not shame us with contempt.
Jesus, we’re tired of wasting our thirst on water that does not satisfy. We’re tired of digging our own wells. We’re tired of sitting under dry spigots. We’re tired of being tires. Once again, we bring our thirst to you. We bring our grace-avoidance to you. We bring our excuse making, unbelief, pride, and our self-righteousness.
We ask, and because you do not lie, we shall receive living water—copious amounts of living water—sufficient grace for our insufficient selves. Thank you Jesus for not giving up on us. So very Amen we pray, in your kind and powerful name.
