Isaiah 55:1 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”

“Drink so much water, you’ll wonder whether you drank too much, and then drink more,” They told us during orientation. I wasn’t too thrilled about the drinking requirements, because, scientifically, the increase of water intake would also increase the frequency of bathroom breaks. The Dominican Republic’s climate in January is incredible. Cool in the mornings and evenings, hot and breezy in the afternoons, shaded by the flourishing fruit trees; the atmosphere of paradise makes one feel invincible, so Gap G probably didn’t listen to Mission of Hope’s advice in regards to our water intake. We need water though, it keeps us refreshed and alive. Our bodies crave physical water, or as they like to call it in the Dominican, agua; but our souls crave spiritual water. This is the point of the story of the Samaritan woman. (John 4)

The nameless woman stood breathless in the presence of her Creator. She didn’t know it yet, that it was He who had shaped her in her mother’s womb and knew every thought, carless intention, and dark secret. It was He, God Almighty, Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel who asked her for a drink as the arid wind blew across the landscape. She felt the audacity of His request and responded cheekily, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” Had she known who He was, would she have hesitated to drop her meager bucket into the well to refresh Him? 

Even when we hear God ask us for things, we like to question His holy motives. Our rightful place is in His service, we are His creatures, the workers of His field. The real audacity comes from our resistance to His instruction. How dare we question the One who made the stars and mountains and seas, who gave every creature breath and formed every human in His own likeness? But God doesn’t grow angry with us, just as Christ didn’t grow angry with the Samaritan woman. “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.” Jesus points out her lack of understanding. This was no ordinary man asking a woman to do something for Him, this was the God of the Universe discretely revealing Himself to one of His daughters. “You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep,” she said, taken aback at His wayward response, “Where can you get his living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” This woman had no idea how great Jesus really was, though her version of ‘great’ was Jacob, an imperfect sinner from ancient Jewish stories. Little did she know that Christ was alive, that He moved and spoke, and most importantly, that He noticed her, the sinner. Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will grow thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.” Yes, Christ the King is offering her water now. God isn’t the receiver of our affections, He is the giver of perfect love. All of our obedience could never be enough for His heavenly requirements, but the Gospel is that we are freely given a costly gift. The water we couldn’t give Him was poured back to us, so that we might never thirst again. 

Aren’t you tired of trying to draw water in the heat of the day? Aren’t you tired of being thirsty, reliant on your store of worldly aspirations and fickle pleasures? Your well is running low, and you need a new supply, something sustainable and clean. Ask the Lord, your Savior, for His water. Come to Him with your worries and He will give you peace instead. Come to Him with your anger, and He will replace it with joy. Come to Him with your sin and He will wipe your hands clean, so that you can stand radiant in the brightness of His presence. He asked us to be holy, but we refused, so He became holiness for us. He asked us for water, but we questioned Him, so He gave us better water that would never expire. I’ve seen it, how a gulp of His freshness revives the soul and heals the pain. Given freely, dearly bought, praise God for the water that does not run dry.