Prayer

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman:

Jesus answered her, “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.” (John 4:10, NIV)

Jesus has a remarkable insight.

He knew the true spiritual thirst of this Samaritan woman.

As Jesus passed through Samaria, even the heat of the day got Him exhausted (John 4:6).

Trying to hide in broad daylight

Historical scholars tell us that the hour this woman chooses to go to the well alone to draw water (about noon) is odd.

• It’s the hottest part of the day.
• Drawn water would evaporate while being carried.
• The heat can be physically exhausting.
• If she had walked some distance, she’d be sweating and what clothing she had would be stuck to her damp body.

They speculate that she wants to avoid being seen by other people who normally go in the cool mornings or late afternoons to draw water, because of the shame of her reputation.

• She was shunned by other women.
• She was rejected by others.
• She carried shame.

She wants to hide in broad daylight.  She is a woman who’d had five husbands, and now has a lover at home.

The Spiritual Thirst of the Samaritan Woman

In my ministry, I regularly encounter people with various levels of sexual brokenness and shame.

I know of one, currently on her 4th husband as well, trying to raise two daughters from husband number 1.  Their brokenness affects generations.

In my ministry in Latin America,  I talk with many victims of sexual abuse.  I talk with victims of rape, of repeated rapes.

I talk with men and women who deal with the shame of sexual flings with members of the opposite sex or same sex.

They feel disgusting, dirty, shameful, broken, and unworthy.

From these conversations, I can only imagine the sense of brokenness the Samaritan woman carried, all wrapped around her sexual history.

While it may be true that she could have been perfectly fine with all the men she had been with, even boasting about it to her peers, her behavior suggests some true inner brokenness.  Any bravado she may have had in front of her friends melted away when she was alone.

Perhaps she simply gave up defending herself, choosing to boldly live with another lover, moving in with him before marriage.

Divorced four times suggests that she carries the label “damaged goods, thrown out, rejected” by many.

Maybe those labels screamed at her own mind.

Her spiritual thirst may have had many layers, but the part of it that Jesus went after was her sexual brokenness.

Jesus hit the spiritual thirst

Jesus let the conversation touche on different themes:

• Tensions between Jews and Samaritans
• The historical lineage of Jacob
• Nationalistic pride
• Sexual history
• Cultural rules
• Marriage
• Worship
• Religion
• Gender

But he knew the woman’s true spiritual thirst, and spoke right to it.  Sexual brokenness led to a discussion of who is truly worthy of worship.

While Jesus could have followed any of the theological rabbit trails in this evangelism conversation, he calmly listened and spoke to her, occasionally re-focusing the conversation.

He didn’t let it go.  Instead, He revealed himself:

• The Gift of God
• Living Water
• I am He.
• One greater than Jacob
• The one who can tell what we’ve done.
• A prophet

This revelation changed her life.

Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,
“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”
They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
– John 4:28-30

Today’s Prayer

Lord, give me the eyes to see the true spiritual thirst in the people around me.  (Read this tutorial for more info)

May I see those who seek to hide from their shame in broad daylight.

Give me the opportunity today to hear the spiritual thirst in a conversation, and grant me the grace to engage the person in conversation about it.

Grant me the patience to avoid the conversational detours.

Anywhere with Jesus, over land and sea,
Telling souls in darkness of salvation free;
Ready as He summons me to go or stay,
Anywhere with Jesus when He points the way.
— Jesse B. Pounds, Anywhere with Jesus

Today’s Action

Continue praying through your list of friends.

As you do, consider who the Lord is inviting you to engage in conversation.

If you are so directed, setup a coffee time or some other visiting time where the Lord will open the conversational doors.

Download resource:

If you want to learn more about having effective conversations about your faith, consider this DVD set: Effective Conversations

In today’s devotional prayer, take your bible and read Ecclesiastes 2.

The teacher is a man who experienced tremendous spiritual thirst and chapter two gives us the various ways he tried to fill that emptiness in his heart.

[Read more…] about 30 Days of Prayer: Day 18 – Common Spiritual Thirsts

Every person comes to Jesus for a different reason.

I started my search for Jesus because of

• a search for unconditional love
• a purpose greater than my own self.

I had no clue that I was a sinner, or that I needed a Savior.

Sin is not always the starting point

While it is true that our sin is what separates us from God, many people don’t automatically equate the two.

I think of a friend who has led a successful life and wants to do something meaningful in retirement.

I think of a relative who lives alone doing word puzzles all day.

I think of another friend who works hard, loves his family, and raising his kids well.

Each one of my friends does not show a personal worry over sin that separates them from God.  Their life seems fine.

I’m sure you know people who don’t think about their sin all the time.

It’s their spiritual thirst that starts the search for Jesus.  (Read this tutorial).

Spiritual Thirst is the starting point

I’ve put together a list of encounters with Jesus in the gospels.  It’s not exhaustive.  As part of today’s prayer activity, pick a few of these stories and ask yourself the question:

What drew this person to seek out Jesus?

Today’s Prayer

Lord, help me to see spiritual thirst in those around me.  As I gaze into your word today, help me to see the spiritual thirst that propelled people to seek you.

Today’s Action

Here is a list of Jesus encounters.  Answer the main question above and then ask the Lord to if any of the friends you are praying for have a similar spiritual thirst.

A list of personal encounters with Jesus

• Son of David, have mercy on me / us. (Matt 9:27; 17:29)
• If I just touch the hem of his garment . . (Matt 9:21)
• Come and follow me, I will make you fishers of men (Matt 4:19)
• Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.  Filled with compassion, Jesus said, “I am willing” (Matt 8:2; Mark 1:40-41)
• Lord, my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering (Matt 8:6)
• He saw a man named Matthew – “Follow me” (Matt 9:9)
• My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession (Matt 15:22)
• Lord, have mercy on my son, I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him (Matt 17:15-16)
• Let the little children come to me (Matt 19:14)
• Why are you bothering this woman?  She has done a beautiful thing. (Matt 26:10)
• What do you want with us Jesus of Nazareth, have you come to destroy us? (Mark 1:24)
• Son, your sins are forgiven (Mark 2:5)
• My little girl is dying, please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed an live (Mark 5:23)
• They asked him for a sign from heaven (Matt 16:-14, Mark 8:11-12)
• Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal live (Mark 10:17)
• Shepherds come visit the Christ
• Pagan wise men come to worship and bring their gifts
• A sinful woman anoints the feet of Jesus at the Pharisees house (Luke 7:37-38).  Your sins are forgiven.
• Unless you repent, you will all perish. (Luke 13:1-5)
• A woman healed unexpectedly — she was just present when Jesus chose to heal her as a case study (Luke 13:10-13)
• Zaccheus wanted to see who Jesus was (Luke 19:3)
• When the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God” – Mark 15:39
• Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” (John 1:43)
• “You believe because I told you I saw you under a fig tree” (John 1:50)
• He came to Jesus at night.  How can this be? (John 3.3)
• How can you ask me, a Samaratian, for a drink (John 4:9)
• Many believed in him because of the woman’s testimony (John 4:39)
• He begged Jesus to come and heal his son (John 4:46)
• Jesus asked him, “Do you want to get well?” (John 4:6)  Jesus later spoke to him about repentance
• “Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you? Neither do I, go and sin no more.” (John 8.10-11)
• Rabbi – who sinned, this man or his parents? (John 9.1)

Talk #2 in the Fear Free evangelism Study Course is all about spiritual thirst and the role it plays in drawing people to start following Jesus.  It is available as a 5 CD set or as a digital download.