Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! … Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. Isaiah 55:1,2b-3. NIV
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:7-10 NIV
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14. NIV
In John 4:4-42 Jesus showed love first by being present with a Samaritan woman, then with her whole village. He engaged in a conversation with her while she was at Jacob’s well to get water at mid-day. Perhaps she was there at noon to avoid other people who didn’t approve of her choices to marry, divorce and live with at least 6 men. Jesus asked for a drink (John 4:7), most religious Jews wouldn’t touch a utensil a Samaritan had touched. Jesus offered her living water (John 4:10), then he spoke about eternal life (John 4:14). His next question began an honest exchange about her past and present relationships (John 4:16-18). The conversation climaxed with Jesus declaring himself to be Messiah. Then the woman went back to her village and told the people that Jesus knew everything about her – she thought he could be Messiah. The people came to see Jesus, asked him to stay and he spent 2 days in the village teaching the people. As a result of the woman’s invitation, and the people listening to Jesus’ teaching, many in the village believed in Jesus as “the Savior of the world,” John 4:42b.
Jesus shows love to us with his presence as well. He wants to converse with us about our physical, sexual, emotional, mental, and spiritual lives. Psalm 23:4 tells us, “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” God is with us, no matter our circumstances. Psalm 139 tells us there is no place we can go, nor any circumstance we can be in where God is not right there with us.
As a result, we need to be willing to be present in other’s lives. We need to be willing to show love to others by engaging in conversation, by listening to their answers, by speaking honestly with others about who God is, about his desire for us to worship him “in spirit and in truth,” John 4:24b. We need to be ready to point other people to Jesus, the Messiah, he is the only one who can offer forgiveness from sin, living water and eternal life to hurting people in our lives.
By Grace Hunter
