The Woman At The Well

The woman at the well is mentioned in the Bible in John Chapter 4. She remains nameless after over 2,000 years of her story being told the first time. Her destiny deemed that she be at that well at the exact moment in time that Jesus sat there alone, because he had sent his disciples into the city to buy food. Jesus did two unusual and politically incorrect things that day: as a Rabbi, he spoke to a woman, and as a Jew, he spoke to a Samaritan. Jewish law forbade that women speak directly to Rabbis (teachers) and there was great enmity between the Israelites and the Samaritans, dating back to when the Assyrians invaded the northern tribes of Israel. Over the centuries, they assimilated with their captors and forsook the faith of their forefathers.

But Jesus did a lot of things that were politically incorrect to the Jewish rulers and priests of his time. He hung out in the streets with the unwashed, the unsaved, the sick and the poor. And He represented his heavenly Father by showing them love and redemption.

The woman at the well is a wonderful story of redemption and salvation for a woman of Samaria, who was told of her sins and given the gift of "living water" by Jesus Christ, the Messiah of whom she knew about from the faith of her forefathers. After her encounter at the well with Jesus, she becomes so excited that she leaves her water pot at the well, runs into the city and evangelizes by telling the men to come see a man.

There is much more to this story, but today I want to emphasize the significant and power of our personal testimonies. One does not have to be a Bible scholar to spread the Good News that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. We don't have to have a theological degree from a divinity school. All we need is our personal testimony to share with others. The Bible says in Revelation 12:11a "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony."


Share your personal testimony with others to let others know what the Lord has done for you!

The Woman at the Well
 John 4:1-29
(1)  When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (2)  (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) (3)  He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. (4)  And he must needs go through Samaria. (5)  Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. (6)  Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. (7)  There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
(8)  (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) (9)  Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. (10)  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. (11)  The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? (12)  Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? (13)  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: (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. (15)  The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. (16)  Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. (17)  The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: (18)  For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. (19)  The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. (20)  Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. (21)  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
(22)  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. (23)  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (24)  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (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. (26)  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. (27)  And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? (28)  The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, (29)  Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

A Yet Praise

I have some prayers and petitions before God that have not yet been answered. After years of praying for my daughter's healing from a debilitating condition that has robbed her of 12 years of her life, my faith wavers sometimes. What if unanswered prayer means NO? I have fasted, prayed, rubbed anointing oil, given sacrificial offerings, and prayed some more. And her condition does not show any improvement. Yea, sometimes we get bad reports from the doctors and it appears that her condition is worsening.

What happens to your faith, to your spiritual journey when God does not seem to answer your prayer? I've been giving this a lot of thought in my quiet time lately, and here is my revelation:

               Lord God, I love you and I praise you. I dedicate my life, my heart and my soul to you. You are my Provider, my Deliverer, my Savior, my Lord, my Love, and my Friend. You have been so good to me and my household; you have blessed me beyond measure. Lord, if you never give me another blessing, I will continue to praise you for what you've already done for me! You saved a wretch like me, healed my broken heart, and taught me how to love your children.

               So Lord, I give you the sacrifice of praise at all times, even when my flesh and my circumstances try to take my joy in You. I will yet praise you, my heavenly Father, creator of all things, and the lover of my soul. I will yet praise you Lord, through the hurt and through the pain. I will yet praise you Jesus because You deserve all the honor, all the glory and all the praise! In the matchless, wondrous name of Jesus, amen.

1. Psalm 42:5
   Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
2. Psalm 42:11
   Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
3. Psalm 43:5
   Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
4. Psalm 71:14
   But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.

"You Want Fries With That?"

Most of us spoiled US citizens have heard this question when placing an order at a fast food restaurant. “You want fries with that?” In other words, can we add to your cost and to your calorie intake by offering you the obligatory french fries to go with that fast food burger? Or, can we “up size” or “super-size” your order, and make each item larger, bigger, more? We may not want to admit how many times we have responded affirmatively to those questions. Hey, let’s face it. We are a fast food nation and a microwave generation that expect our food and our services to miraculously appear or happen almost the minute our brain thinks we need to have it. No wonder one of the largest US cable companies has a slogan that includes the words “On Demand.” Americans DEMAND it, and they expect to GET IT NOW. Ah, but we don’t have a remote control for our lives that would enable us to use a “Pause” button to savor a good circumstance, a “REVERSE” button to replay a past, pleasant experience, or a “FAST FORWARD” button to rush to a hopefully better future. If anyone could market that type of remote control, they would be a gazillionaire. God, the Creator of the universe, the heavenly Father of you and me, knows all things, and does not exist in time. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He knows your past, present and future. The Bible says in Jer 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” God loves you so much that He thinks good thoughts about you! And He wants to give you a good outcome or “expected end.” Can we be patient and faithful to Him and His Word that our lives are and will be victorious, peaceful, and joyful? Show patience today and move into your next season of blessings! Do you remember how patient God was with you while you were yet living in sin? Can we wait on the Lord and give Him praise and thanksgiving during our waiting time? Remember, He is not a fast food, on demand God…but He is always right on time.