You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
Psalm 63:1
It was a source I’d come to depend on. A place go to have my needs met. But it never seemed to be enough; life at times offers these empty ‘fillers’; relationships, hobbies, money, careers even… every day I would go back for more.
It essentially was filling my jar with ‘water’, no permanence! Many times I had heard of: living water? What was it? LIVING WATER? Had a been drinking or having of ‘dead water’? In essence, Yes!
Unlike the water I had grown accustomed to utilizing to ‘quench my thirst.’ Andctrsust me, I had looked far and wide!
The Word speaks of this water…
In Christianity the term “water of Life” (Greek: ὕδωρ ζωῆς hydōr zōēs) is used in the context of living water, specific references appearing in the Book of Revelation (21:6 and 22:1), as well as the Gospel of John. In these references, the term Water of Life refers to the Holy Spirit.
“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’
But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
John 7:38,39
but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
John 4:14
The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
Proverbs 18:4
He will drink from the brook by the wayside; Therefore He will lift up His head.
Psalm 110:7
Therefore you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation.
Isaiah 12:3
Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”– therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
Genesis 3:22-24
Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Revelation 22:1-2
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.
Revelation 22:14
“It will come about that every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there and the others become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.
Ezekiel 47:9
Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again;
John 4:13
came to get that day, He said the water He offered would satisfy her so deeply she’d never thirst again.
But she had a hard time believing His promise. “You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?” (John 4:11) She asked.
What she didn’t realize was that Jesus wanted to satisfy a deeper thirst in her heart — a longing He’d created to lead her heart to Him: the One and only Source that could satisfy her soul.
All He needed to draw with was His Spirit, for it would draw her near to Him. And as far as the depth of the well, it was her heart He was looking into. She was the only one who could stop Him from reaching the parts that needed Him most.
I know that place of needing Jesus to look into my heart and show me the emptiness only He can fill.
Like the woman at the well, I’ve depended on other means to get my needs met. Yet when I look to them, instead of Him, they are never enough.
I’ve looked to people: family and friends, bosses and boyfriends, teachers and mentors, my husband and kids. I’ve longed for their approval and the affirmation that comes with it.
I’ve also looked to possessions and positions and accidentally put my hope in recognition. I’ve thought “if only I had or could…”
But no matter how much I do or get, it’s never enough to fill me up. And it’s not supposed to be.
Why? Because the empty places in our hearts were created to be filled by God alone. The deepest thirst of our soul can only be quenched by Him.
We see this deep thirst even in King David, who had everything: the highest position, unlimited possessions, and great power, yet none of it was enough. He described himself as parched and thirsty for God:
You God, are my God, earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land where there is no water. (Ps. 63:1)
Then David went on to describe what he experienced when he drank deeply of God’s love:
I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live
and in your name I will lift up my hands. (vv. 2–4)
And the same thing happened to the woman Jesus met at the well that day. She drank deeply of His love and was filled to overflow, and we can be too.
Just like the woman at the well, God put a longing in our hearts that was intended to lead us back to Him. Only His unconditional acceptance, approval and affirmation can fill the empty places in our hearts – the deepest thirst of our souls. Until God’s Love and acceptance is enough, nothing else will be.
Dear Lord, show me the empty places in my heart and ways I try to fill them. Then lead me back to You and show me how I can position my heart to be filled and fulfilled by Your promises and the power of Your Love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
