May 15, 2020
“Spring Up, Oh Well”
“…but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:14
Have you ever visited a natural spring? There is a place down in the Pee Dee region that has 16 natural springs located on the property. We visited this place several times while we lived in the area. They have a pipe into one of the springs and you can drink from it or fill a container. Below the pipe there is a little reservoir that catches the water as it pours forth from the pipe. The water is crystal clear and you can see to the bottom of the reservoir even though it has a dirt bottom.
It is really amazing to see this water just bubbling up out of the ground without a pump or artificial device to cause it to come up. We stood around and watched the water and drank some of it. The boys wanted to jump in the cool water because it was so inviting. We wouldn’t allow them. Watching the water bubble up was not only refreshing but almost therapeutic. It was like it restored your soul.
Jesus talked to the woman at the well about a bubbling spring. He told her that if she were to drink of His water that she would never thirst again. Now, we all know that Jesus wasn’t talking about physical thirst, but spiritual thirst.
Many people in this world are trying to find meaning. As we navigate this pandemic and ask questions about the validity of worshiping together again, going into restaurants, trying to get back to some semblance of normal there are many who are trying to find peace. On television now they are advertising a place you can call and get calming advice. You can now install an app on your phone if you need a calming influence in your life. We are stressed, pressed, quarantined, and becoming impatient with everything like it is. We are looking for tranquility.
Jesus comes along and tells the woman at the well, “If you just knew what God has to give and who it is that said to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have been the one to ask Him, and He would have given you living water.” (John 4:10 CB Williams Translation.) God is waiting to give everyone who ask the living water that brings about peace and tranquility to all. Jesus is the vessel or spring that produces this water and all we have to do is drink. Jesus proclaims this again in Revelation 22:17, “Let everyone who hears this say, ‘Come.’ Let everyone who is thirsty come. Let everyone who wishes come and take the living water without any cost.”
We do not need special apps or conferences with individuals. We need Jesus to calm our soul and bring rest for all. I invite you to dive into the living water of Jesus and allow it to bubble up in your soul.
Dear Jesus, help us to bathe in the living water and allow it to refresh our soul. Give us the peace that only you can give no matter the circumstances we live in each and every day. Help us to rely on you and not what the world tries to entice us to believe. Spring up in us a living water that will soak us through and through. In your name we pray, Amen.