A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." ... The Samaritan woman said to Him, "How is it that You, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." (John 4:7, 9-10)
Do you ever wish you could just start your life over? I think that's the way it is for a lot of us. Take the woman Jesus met at the well in Samaria. She was there to get water—but not at the normal time, at the start of the day. She was there in the heat of noon, when nobody else was there. Why? Well, probably to avoid her neighbors. Better to suffer from the heat than from the sting of malicious tongues. You see, she had been married five times, and was then living with yet another man—possibly someone else's husband. It's pretty clear that her life was a mess. And when she saw Jesus sitting at the well, she braced herself for another battle. Because Jesus was clearly a Jew, and she knew full well the Jews were prejudiced against Samaritans. But Jesus hadn't come to heap yet another burden on this woman. He had come to take her burdens away—to set her free. He spoke to her gently, treating her with respect, making it clear He knew her history and still valued her in spite of it. He offered her the living water of the Holy Spirit, who plants faith in us. And she was so amazed that she ran back to tell her neighbors all about Him. You may be at a point in your life where all you can see is a mess—regrets, wrong turns, shame, broken relationships. Jesus sees past that. He sees you, and He wants to set you free. He offers you living water so that your thirsty soul will be satisfied. Let Him give it to you. THE PRAYER: Lord, give me this living water so that I may be satisfied in You. Amen. Reflection Questions: * In what situation does water taste the best to you? * Have you ever avoided people? When? * When do you feel most thirsty for a drink of Jesus' living water? Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Today's Bible Readings: Leviticus 19-20 Mark 9:30-50
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