Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest lake, is vast and magnificent. Measuring one-mile-deep and nearly 400 miles (636 km) by 49 miles (79 km) across, it contains one-fifth of all the surface fresh water in the world. But this water is largely inaccessible. Lake Baikal is located in Siberia—one of the most remote areas of Russia. With water so desperately needed for much of our planet, it’s ironic that such a vast supply of water is tucked away in a place where not many people can access it.
Although Lake Baikal may be remote, there is an endless source of life-giving water that is available and accessible to those who need it most. When at a well in Samaria, Jesus engaged a woman in conversation, probing at the edges of her deep spiritual thirst. The solution to her heart-need? Jesus Himself.
In contrast to the water she had come to draw from the well, Jesus offered something better: “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13–14).
Many things promise satisfaction but never fully quench our thirsty hearts. Jesus alone can truly satisfy our spiritual thirst, and His provision is available to everyone, everywhere.
By Bill Crowder
REFLECT & PRAY
Where are you seeking fulfillment or satisfaction in life? Why is the search for true satisfaction impossible apart from Christ?
Loving God, thank You for the life You provide and the purpose and meaning You give to me. Teach me to find my truest satisfaction in You and Your love.
Jesus’ promise of water that permanently quenches spiritual thirst (John 4:14) echoes several Old Testament promises. God’s people “will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3) and “will neither hunger nor thirst” (49:10). God’s Spirit will be poured out like “water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground” (44:3). The idea of spiritual satisfaction runs through prophecies that look forward to new hearts that know and experience God and hunger to do His will (Jeremiah 31:29–34; Ezekiel 36:25–27; Joel 2:28–32). Especially significant is Isaiah 55:1–3: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters . . . that you may live.” When Jesus offers the Samaritan woman living water (John 4:4-14), He’s declaring that God’s promises are an everlasting covenant with all who come to Him—not just the Israelites.
Con Campbell
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