Satisfaction for Your Deepest Longings
By Jessica Van Roekel
“Jesus answered her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” - John 4:13-14 ESV
My favorite morning drink, besides coffee, is a tall glass of water. In fact, I’m a huge water drinker. I like it plain or with a little lemon or lime juice for added flavor. If I travel, I make sure to drink extra water the day before, and when I miss out on my water, I can tell. I feel sluggish, and I’m prone to headaches. My thirst drives me to keep drinking water.
Jesus traveled from Judea to Galilee by way of Samaria. Samaria lay between Judea and Galilee, and due to the hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans, most Jews took the long way to Galilee from Judea. John 4:4 states Jesus had to pass through Samaria. He could have taken the route most Jews took to avoid it, but he did not. He had a divine appointment with a Samaritan woman.
When the King of Assyria conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel, he sent people to inhabit the land. He also dispersed many Jews to other parts of his kingdom. Intermarriage between the Israelites who remained and the foreigners brought into the country resulted in the people group called “Samaritans.” The Samaritans developed religious practices combining foreign traditions of idol worship mixed with Hebrew customs. Over the centuries, hostilities developed between Jews and Samaritans.
By New Testament times, many Samaritans had abandoned their pagan practices and focused solely on the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament. Because their bible contained only these five books, they failed to accept much of God’s revelation about himself, and they knew little about him. It was this incompleteness of their traditions that Jesus referred to in his conversation with the Samaritan woman.
Jesus, weary from his journey, sat beside Jacob’s well. Soon, a Samaritan woman came, and Jesus asked her for a drink of water. A remarkable conversation ensued between Jesus and the woman about water, which doesn’t satisfy our thirst, and living water, which satisfies every thirst. Jesus said the water he gives will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life. This water is a spiritual life, and to experience this life, one must drink the living water. Jesus’ conversation reveals his commitment to bringing all people into a personal relationship with God.
The Greek word for drink, pineto, represents a continuing or repeated action. Drinking from the well of living water is not a one-time experience but a continual, repeated way of life. It is regular interaction with the source of living water, Jesus, and becomes part of an ongoing lifestyle of living for him. A neglected relationship with Christ leads to disconnection from the source of living water. Those who neglect this relationship become waterless springs (2 Peter 2:17).
In our lives today, not only can we feel physical thirst but also spiritual thirst. For physical thirst, we can keep a filled water bottle nearby and drink when we’re thirsty. Our physical bodies need continual refilling. But for our spiritual thirst, we can look to all the wrong things to fill our need for satisfaction, whether it’s addicting substances, social media, or other forms of entertainment. These do not and cannot satisfy the deep longings in our souls.
To be fully satisfied, we need Living Water. Our times spent with the Lord bring about the satisfaction we desire. We can continue to turn to him when we need strength, hope, or joy. When we read the Bible, we can learn about his heart for us. We can commit to a church body to grow spiritually and be encouraged by each other. Our deepest longings can only be satisfied when we determine to drink from the Living Water, Jesus, the satisfier of our souls.
Let’s pray:
Holy God,
Thank you for the water you give. In you, I find my greatest longings fulfilled. Fill me with your living water as I come to you each day. Let me find satisfaction in you as I wait on you. You are my rock and my refuge, my everlasting Father, and my Prince of Peace. I rest in you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Linus Nylund
Related Resource: Praying Through Psalm 51: Restoring the Joy of Salvation
Can a heart stained by the worst kinds of betrayal ever truly be restored?? When the world demands justice, does God offer a different way back? In this devotional on Psalm 51, we step into the wreckage of King David’s greatest failure—the affair with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. We move beyond a simple apology to uncover the specific Hebrew anatomy of David's confession: Pesha (rebellion), Avon (twistedness), and Hata'ah (missing the mark). We explore the shocking reality that under Mosaic Law, David should have faced the death penalty, yet he boldly asks God to "create a way" where the law offered none. If you’ve ever felt like your mistakes have disqualified you from God’s presence, or that you are not worthy due to your past mistakes, this episode offers a roadmap from guilt to gladness. Come ready to run toward the Father who doesn't just want your perfection, but your broken and contrite heart. If this episode helped you connect with God, be sure to follow Praying Christian Women on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
Originally published Wednesday, 26 July 2023.
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