“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
John 7:37b-38
Jesus, Our Peace
While I was growing up, when things would not go the way I had planned. I would go to my mom to complain. Without fail, she would always say, “Well, honey, no one ever promised you a rose garden.” I really, really disliked when she would say that.
However, to her credit, I have since discovered that she knew a little something after all! Jesus addressed this issue very directly with His disciples when He said: “In this world, you will have trouble.” (John 16:33b) This verse applied to the disciples then, but it also applies to us today. Jesus Himself warned us that we would have trouble while we live on this earth. He didn’t say we “might” have trouble, He said we “will” have trouble. No rose garden here, folks.
Here’s what I take that to mean. While I live on this earth, there’s going to be trouble. Pain. Struggle. Sin. Divorce. Betrayal. Cancer. Death. I know we each have our own list of heartaches.
Here is the great thing, though. Jesus wraps this verse on either side with Himself. In John 16:33a, He promises to be our peace in the midst of trouble: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.” In 16:33c, Jesus continues with these life-giving words: “But take heart! For I have overcome the world.” (Matthew 16:33b)
Jesus reminds us, strongly, that He has already won this war that we are in every day. It’s like He’s saying, “I know it’s hard here! It will be hard. But I’m here, and I will take care of you, in My Way.”
And “His Way” is His Holy Spirit, which He gives to us when we receive Christ as Savior and Lord. The amazing thing about the Holy Spirit is that He does not just watch over us, or stand with us. He lives within us! Here is how Jesus Himself communicated it to the people: “... Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” John 7: 37b-39 NIV
Jesus, Our Living Water
Water is our most basic physical need. We can survive for a time without food, but not for very long at all without water. As our most basic physical need is water, so our most basic spiritual need is Jesus, the Living Water.
This metaphor is beautifully simple, yet has incredible depth. I love how John 4 illustrates it. Jesus strikes up a conversation with the Samaritan woman and asks her for some water. This was unheard of culturally for a man to be talking directly to a woman, let alone the incredible tension between the Samaritans and the Jews due to their differing opinions on where to worship. She comes right back at Him with the fact that she is a Samaritan and He is a Jew, and why would He be asking her for water? After a little more conversation, He says:
“… All who drink of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling) [continually] within him unto (into, for) eternal life”.
The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never get thirsty nor have to come [continually all the way] here to draw.”
At this, Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband and come back here.”
The woman answered, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have spoken truly in saying, I have no husband. For you have had five husbands, and the man you are now living with is not your husband. In this you have spoken truly.” John 4: 13-18 AMP (brackets mine)
Oh, is this not so like our Savior? He draws this hurting, broken woman with kindness. He never condemns her or responds in kind to her bitterness. He even commends her twice about her honesty regarding the state of her life. He brings her gently, but truthfully, to a place where she is willing to ask for what He says He can offer her, acknowledging her need.
Jesus knew this woman, like us, needed so much more than physical water. She needed a Savior. She needed Jesus, the Living Water, to save her and then hold her hand and guide her through her time on this earth. Like us, she needed to be cleansed with His forgiveness, grace and mercy at the moment of salvation, and then every day after that!
Memory Scripture:
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” Revelation 22:17
Prayer:
Father, thank You so much for the precious, unending gift of Your Holy Spirit! And thank You for giving us this picture of water that shows us what You want to do for us. You want to be our very nourishment, our cleansing, and even our refreshment! Teach us to call on You for this, and receive the fullness that You wish to give us! Praise Your Name for the gift of Yourself! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
