Wellspring Of Living Water

Trust in God and find refuge in Him during hard times. Let Jesus produce living water in you all the time by worshiping Him in Spirit and Truth.

“Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord…He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and laid siege to it. They came up to Jerusalem and stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool…the king of Assyria says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? “Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree and drink water from your own cistern, until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey.” 2 Kings 18:1-32

The Bible says that Hezekiah trusted in the Lord. Isn’t that great! So was his life easy? Absolutely not. If you think for a moment that following Jesus leads to a path without pain, you are sadly mistaken. He faced pressure from people all around him every day. He was attacked by the Assyrians, and his supplies were cut off by a siege. The question is not if, but when, you will face pressure or travel through times of trial. What pressures are you feeling today?

The enemy in this story takes a fascinating approach. They try to convince the people that living in captivity is better than trusting in God to deliver them. The enemy offers a replica life and tries to get them to settle for a substitute. The enemy says freedom is not important. It is better to have food. Can you see how deceptive this dialogue is?

Satan, the enemy of our lives, says the same thing. He tries to undermine our identity and undercut our trust in God. He wants you to live for your flesh and not listen to the Spirit. He wants you to hide, separate, and isolate. He attacks with fear, guilt, and shame, doing everything he can to destroy your life. But the truth is, he’s not in control of you, and he has to get you to believe the lies. You are still the one who gets to decide how you live. He has no control over you if you live in the truth.

“In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God…as for me, I trust in the Lord. I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place. I am the utter contempt of my neighbors…Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak…How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. Love the Lord, all his faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” Psalms 31:1-24

Hezekiah lived approximately 300 years after King David, but you better believe that this song was on his lips. He had to have felt like it was written for him. As he faced pressure from every side, with enemies attacking him and a siege around him, Hezekiah had to make a choice. Where will I turn when I do not know what to do? Where will I place my trust? You can almost imagine how the words of this song could have soothed his soul during the storm.

David did not know it at the time, but by writing this song and sharing his story, he was able to help save someone else. David did not hide his feelings or allow fear or shame to cause him to quit. David did the healthiest thing you can do. He told the truth, and he trusted in God.

The truth is, when we turn to God, we will find healing. He will deliver us. We are always one step away from standing in the arms of our loving Father and perfect Savior. As we encounter and experience God, He wants to redirect our focus so that we might help others. So often our painful past or answered prayers fuel our kingdom purpose and guide how we bring good news. The hardest things we endure become our greatest hallelujahs. How has God helped you? What story can you share?

“These are more proverbs of Solomon, compiled by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah: Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel; Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among his great men; Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land. Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.” Proverbs 25:1-28

Do you notice who specifically is mentioned as writing Proverbs 25? Hezekiah’s men. What a remarkable connection in the Bible. On the day we study Hezekiah, we see that not only did God make a way to save them from their siege, but they also used the gift of their salvation to be the scribes who recorded Proverbs 25.

What lessons do they want us to learn? The very people whose water supply and food were cut off are the ones who wrote down the words of Solomon to give food and drink to your enemy. Imagine how those words would have impacted those people. Water was their most critical need during the siege, and they compared getting good news to life-giving water. Do you realize the importance of helping others find the hope of Jesus Christ? More than water, He is the One who gives life.

The proverbs often give an example from everyday life that points to a much deeper spiritual truth. At the end of this proverb, Solomon said that someone without self-control is like a city whose walls are broken through. Self-control protects our hearts from springing a leak. It protects us from sin and from setting our feet on the wrong paths.

Self-control is not a popular concept. We live in a very self-indulgent world where limiting ourselves to less is not seen as a sign of success. There are far fewer posts on social media about self-control than about self-indulgence or worldly success. Where could you use more self-control? Are there any areas of your life that have sprung a leak?

“This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: “Judah mourns, her cities languish; The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns but find no water. They return with their jars unfilled; dismayed and despairing, they cover their heads. This is what the Lord says about this people: “They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet…“Speak this word to them: “Let my eyes overflow with tears night and day without ceasing; for the Virgin Daughter, my people.” Jeremiah 14:1-17

Before we get to the New Testament passage about the woman at the well, we hear the word of the Lord about broken cisterns and empty wells. The people are crying out to God because without water there is no life. The text says their jars were unfilled, and they left in shame. It was only when they were suffering most that they turned to God.

God said you did not have self-control. You loved to wander and did not restrain your feet. You allowed the enemy to undercut your identity as My virgin daughter and did not stay faithful to Me. We might not always like to hear the truth. We might not like to admit where we have gone astray or have sinned. The Bible says all fall short of the glory of God.

God sees and God knows everything. God has better plans for us than to slowly let our lives slip away and end up parched. Consider how a lack of self-control can lead you to a dry place. Have you ever had a dry season? Have you ever gotten into a place where nothing could satisfy your soul? The amazing thing about grace is it is a gift. God does not leave us where we are, nor does He make us come up with the solution.

“So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar…Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet…Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth…leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him.” John 4:5-42

Imagine sitting face-to-face with Jesus like the sinful Samaritan woman. She was intentionally getting water at noon to avoid other people, but God had a better plan for her. He had a plan to restore, redirect, and redeem her so that she would become the evangelist she was made to be. The woman at the well was made to be a connector, evangelist, and encourager, not an object of lust.

Jesus is the Living Water our souls have always longed for. The woman came to the well carrying shame, avoiding her neighbors and her past, but she left with a new identity and a new purpose. She did not leave condemned. She left transformed. The same thing happens every time we turn and commit to Jesus. She became a witness, inviting others to meet the One who had changed her life. She did not attend Bible college or look like she belonged. She could not help but respond to the unconditional, amazing love of Christ.

Jesus still meets us where we are, tells us the truth in love, washes away our shame, and fills us with His Spirit so that living water can flow through us to a world thirsty for good news. All the connections in the Scriptures today culminate in encountering Christ and allowing Him to lead us in true worship.

David trusted God through trials and wrote songs that strengthened future generations. Hezekiah trusted God when the enemy promised a counterfeit life, and his men preserved the Proverbs that point us toward wisdom. Jeremiah warned of empty cisterns and wandering hearts so that people would turn to God. Jesus came to the well and told the truth that He alone can satisfy the deepest needs of the human heart. The whole story has always been leading us to Christ.

What does this mean for you today? Where do you need to encounter Jesus? What pressures are you feeling? Where does God want you to redirect your focus so you can help others? Where could speaking the truth or having more self-control help you draw closer to your Savior?

God is Spirit and Truth. Refuse the enemy’s lies that tell you to hide, live in fear, or settle for less than the best and most blessed life God has for you as His child. Let Him redeem every part of your story. God is not done writing your story. Like the woman at the well, the best is yet to come. Your tests and tears will become the testimony God uses to save someone else. Be strong, take heart, surrender the false, speak truth, and let the refreshing waters of grace flow through you to others.