In John Chapter 4, Jesus talked with the woman at the well in Samaria.  He took intentional steps to prepare her heart to recognize and receive Him.  He began by having them talk about mundane things: water, thirst, and drinking.  He then made a segue way to their spiritual counterparts; spiritual water, a spiritual drink, and spiritual thirst.  Jesus crafted this whole conversation to precede the revelation of Himself as Messiah. Before that could happen, she had to get in touch with her own spiritual thirst.  She needed to wake up her hope.

She came alive as Jesus talked and rose to engage Him in animated conversation.  She finally voiced a desire for what He was offering.  “Give me this drink,” she said.  But Jesus didn’t answer, saying, “I am the drink; this is how you consume me.”  Instead, he brought up the subject of her husband, unearthing the most painful topic.  She had been married five times and lived with a sixth man.  It might have appeared as if Jesus changed the subject, but it was only so He could put His finger on the most painful place in her life.  By doing so, His message was clear ~If you want the most profound encounter possible with Me, you must drink of Me where you need Me the most.  Because she didn’t shy away, she received new life. 

What is the worst part of your story? Have you dared unearth the need associated with the memory?  Where does it feel risky to trust God?  What would Jesus say if He sat on the edge of the well with you?  “I saw you at twenty-four when you wanted to give up.”  Or, “When you were little, scared and hiding, thinking no one cared, did you know that I was there?”  In these crises of faith, in the darkest places of unbelief, Jesus calls us to a new awareness that there is such a thing as Living Water.  If we drink of Him, we will never need to look again at fickle sources to give us what we think we need to feel whole.  We will find Him to be enough.  

The Gospel is life-changing only when it intersects with great spiritual need.