Knowing & Asking: The Woman at the Well

When Jesus comes to us, it changes our lives. And when we know that we are being heard, we are more likely to ask Him for not only our desires, but for His will to be done. And after our encounter with God—whether we get what we ask for or not— we are much more likely to share our experience with others. That’s what the Samaritan Woman did when she was visited by Jesus at the well. Let’s take a dive into the story, and see how it relates to us here and now. Shall we?

 John 4:1-42 KJV

Verse 7: “There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.”

  In other words, when we need something, Jesus gets our attention somehow through what we’re focused on.

      Verse 9: “Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him How is it that thou, being a Jew, asks drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.”

• Like the woman and the Samaritans, we believe that we’re not worthy to even talk to Jesus when He calls us, let alone ask Him for anything.

     Verse 10: Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”

•    If we knew that we were talking to not just another Prophet, but the actual Son of God, then we would be confident in asking Him for things, and if it is in alliance with His will, He will give it to us.

      Verse 11: The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou has nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; from whence then has thou that living water?

•    We often doubt how God can bless us like He said He would. We come up with excuses as to why we shouldn’t receive the blessing, or how God would even make the blessing possible. But all things are possible with God!

      Verse 14: “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

•    When we choose Jesus, we are ultimately satisfied in ways that the world cannot compare.

•    This “Living Water” is also found in Psalm 36:9, Isaiah 12:3, and Ezekiel 47:9, which all promise water that flows freely and refreshes our spirit. Isaiah may have even prophesized the Samaritan Woman!

     Verse 24: “God is a spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

•    We have to be humble and honest in our worship of God and be willing for Him to revive us with His spirit.

      Verse 25: “The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.”

•    Even though Jesus is with us, we still look forward to our dream, or goal, or success, or whatever it is that we are working hard for, but…

      Verse 26: Jesus said to her, “I that speak to you am He.”

•    Jesus is the goal that we are working towards in this world. Every time we think about something better than what we have, we are automatically thinking about Jesus, because He is what we all need.

     Verse 28: The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city…

•    The things that we thought were important, the things we thought we needed, suddenly pale in comparison when we find and experience Jesus.

      Verse 39: And many of the Samaritans believed on Him for the saying of the woman

•    When we go out and tell about Jesus, some people will start to believe, because we stepped out in faith to evangelize about the Gospel.

When reading through this story, I learned a few things about myself.

·      I learned that I am always needing something (clarity, discipline, patience, peace, love, creativity, energy).

·      Jesus gets my attention through songs, scriptures, and messages.

·      Sometimes, I was hesitant to ask for anything, because I felt that I was being selfish, or undeserving, or that the things I asked for just weren’t important enough.

·      When I thought about that last thing, I felt conviction of the Holy Spirit. It was as if He were asking, “How can you or what you ask for be unimportant to God?” So I remembered 1 Peter 5:7, which says “Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you.” All throughout scripture, God is telling us that we can come to Him for anything, and He will give us the desires of our heart if it is within His will.

·      And even when I ask for something, God is faithful to give me so much more than I could ever ask for or imagine. When I ask for life, He gives me life, salvation, light, and satisfaction, just as He promised (Psalm 37:3-6).

·      When you know Jesus, and you know that He is always the first thing you’re seeking (no idols) then when you do ask for things, God will bless you to them. Because He knows that you aren’t putting those things before Him, but asking out of a genuine desire to further His will and strengthen yourself. Because genuine desires aligned with God’s will are never unimportant to Him. Wanting to enjoy life as a gift from God, once we’ve established that we have no life without God, is a blessing that God is willing and able to give us at all times (Ecclesiastes 3:13).

·      And after all of this, I realized that I have to go out and share Jesus based on my life and experience. Only then can His will be fulfilled—that everyone gets an opportunity to know Him for themselves.

Once you know God, you can ask God for anything, and He will bless you to do His will and share His Gospel with everyone. Happy studying!

-Sherry Amor