Take a moment with me and close your eyes. Envision yourself floating down a river. I can visualize this easily as I am sitting beside a river as I write. Now think about floating down the river allowing the tide to pull you. I can envision that as well because I live on the coast with tides:). Now meditate on this scripture:
Whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. (John 7:38)
Jesus met with a woman from Samaria beside a well where she went isolated as a Samaritan woman despised by the Jews to draw some water. She went at noon, the hottest part of the day knowing that she could slip in to get her water without the other Jewish women around. Some of us feel that way; isolated without a sense of belonging and we go about our days feeling hopeless, sad and rejected. We may even put on a good front but inside we are empty. The woman from Samaria met Jesus there and he asked her for a drink. She must have been startled as it was uncustomary for a man and especially a Jewish Rabbi to speak to a woman. She was confused as she recognized that he brought nothing with him in which to draw water. And then….. He told her that if she only knew who He was, that He had an eternal spring of water to offer her comfort, hope and salvation. Jesus is the Living Water.
If you knew the gift of God, and how 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 4:10)
Back to floating down the river. Consider that Jesus is the Living Water within you as a believer. He describes that believing in Him will cause those living waters to flow within. And as you imagine floating in the river think about being immersed in His Presence, filled with His Living Water, and flowing out to others.
This past week I took a walk on the beach (another coastal benefit) and I saw a large shell mostly immersed in the water. As the waves crashed over it, I observed water coming through holes in the top. Realizing that this was a large conch shell I kept watching as the water flowed in and out.
As believers, filled with eternal water, rivers of Jesus’ life flow within and pour out to others. The shell metaphor was a powerful one for me as a reminder that although there are days I feel discouraged, isolated or even out of control, Jesus has deposited within me living water and it is His life that I need to press through my day.
So take some time today and think about these two scriptures. I believe that they will bless you as much as they have me.
Out of you will flow living water….
