God designed the world including our bodies as illustrations of spiritual realities. One of those illustrations is our need for water. It is estimated that an average person cannot survive without water for more than 3 days. In our modern world, this is not a big deal to us because we have ease of access to water at anytime and anywhere. However, when we consider the ancient times and their challenge of attaining water, we find a different story.
In Biblical times, there was no plumbing, running water, faucets, showers, etc. No one sold bottled water. Most people used wells to get their water unless they were close to some body of water. Additionally, it would have been cumbersome to carry water back to the house since the primary mode of transportation would have been walking for most people, All these factors amount to the fact, that water was not as easily available back then.
When we look at the Bible in light of the scarcity and lack of accessibility of water, the scriptures about thirst take on a different level of significance. Thirst was an urgent need with the great possibility of not being readily available. That tells us that people had to be intentional about getting the water they needed on daily basis. If they were going a long distance, they had to plan their route to ensure access to water in hot and dry lands. Do we think about our spiritual lives with this sense of urgency and intentionality?
Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:13-14
Jesus spoke to the woman at the well about her spiritual thirst. She was there every day drawing water from the well. Jesus gave her a clear picture of her physical need which was parallel to her spiritual need. She had tried to fill that need with various men in her life. Jesus was pointing out that those needs can drive us to the wrong wells on daily basis and quench our thirst only temporarily.
We all have physical and emotional needs, but food, relationships, or money cannot fully satisfy our aching hearts for love, understanding, and significance. Everywhere we turn, the natural wells eventually run dry and leave us feeling disappointed and dissatisfied.
I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
