THE ROLE OF THE FAUCET

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”  (1 Corinthians 3:6-7 NIV)

Don’t make the mistake the associates of Lawrence of Arabia made. He took them to Paris after World War 1. They had never seen such sights. The Arc de Triomphe, Napoleon’s tomb, the Champs Elysees. But nothing impressed these men from the Arabian Desert more than the faucet in the bathtub of their hotel room. They turned it on and off, on and off, amazed that with a twist of the wrist they could have all the water they wanted.

When the time came to leave Paris and return to the east, Lawrence found them in the bathroom with wrenches, trying to disconnect the spout. “We need faucets,” they explained. “If we have them, we will have all the water we want.”

They didn’t understand the role of the faucet. Spouts carry water, not produce it. Spigots are the tool, not the source. The valve might direct fluid, but generate it? No. We know this…

Or do we? Through what faucets has God poured His love into your life? A faithful church or small group? A pastor or youth leader? A prayerful parent or spouse? Time-tested traditions or contemporary praise songs? A girlfriend in college or a grandma from childhood? God’s water passes through many faucets. His gift comes in many packages. The treasure, however, is not the plumbing or the box, not the container of the gift. No, the treasure is the Giver Himself! 

-- Adapted from Max Lucado in “Come Thirsty: No Heart Too Dry for His Touch”

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JESUS OFFERS LIVING WATER

“When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give Me a drink?’… The Samaritan woman said to Him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 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.’ … ‘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.’”  (Excerpts from John 4:17-14 NIV)

Have you ever been extremely thirsty? If you have experienced deep thirst, you know how wonderful and refreshing cool water can be. We can live for many days without food but only a short time without water. When the Samaritan woman encountered Jesus at Jacob’s well, she was searching for that which would quench her body’s thirst for life-giving and life-sustaining water. In the presence of Jesus she recognized a deeper thirst, the thirst for God. And it was to this thirst that Jesus offered living water and the promise that her thirst for God could be satisfied.

The thirst for God is universal because we have been created with a longing for the Creator. This desire to know and be known by the One who made us and loves us is often ignored, denied, and finally buried under a multitude of pursuits and interests. But then some event in life invites or forces us to pause, and the desire for God comes rushing back to our awareness. And once again we know that real life is impossible without the companionship of the One who first gave us the gift of life and who sustains us even now. We know for certain that we need living water; we need what only God in Christ can give if we are to truly live.

Today Jesus continues to offer living water, a way, and a companionship that can quench our thirst for God. Our part is to recognize the deep need for God within us and to offer hospitality to the One who seeks to fill and satisfy that need. Like the psalmist, our souls thirst for God (Psalm 42:1-2). The good news we share is that through Jesus Christ our thirst can be satisfied. 

-- Rueben P. Job in “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God”

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THE WATER OF YOUR SOUL

“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 4:14 NIV)

Jesus does for your soul what water does for your body. And, thankfully, we don’t have to give Him directions.

We give none to water, do we? Before swallowing, do you look at the liquid and say, “Ten drops of you go to my spleen. I need fifty on cardiovascular detail. The rest of you head north to my scalp. It’s really itchy today.” Water somehow knows where to go.

Jesus knows the same. Your directions are not needed, but your permission is. Like water, Jesus won’t come in unless swallowed. That is, we must willingly surrender to His lordship. You can stand waist deep in the Colorado River and still die of thirst. Until you scoop and swallow, the water does your system no good. Until you gulp Christ, the same is true…

Internalize Him. Ingest Him. Welcome Him into the inner workings of your life. Let Christ be the water of your soul. 

-- Max Lucado in “Come Thirsty: No Heart Too Dry for His Touch”

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A DESPERATE PRAYER

“Jesus went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.’ And Peter answered Him and said, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’ So He said, ‘Come.’ And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’ And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Truly You are the Son of God.’” (Matthew 14:23b-33 NKJV)

Prayer is a desperate dive out of the sinking boat of human effort and a prayer that God will be there to pull us out of the water.

-- Unknown

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LIFE BEGINS

Life begins at the watering hole
all life gathers at their time
to drink
for water is life

many days you may be out in the blinding desert sands

unsure if your path is right
on a long exodus or journey day and night
but finally you reach the watering hole

you may be timid and unsure if this is safe and right for you

many dangers fill your past and lurk in your future
but here at the watering hole is life
you cannot afford to pass it by without drinking

many more days pass by

they fill your heart with joy
days where you are glad and life is finely tuned the way you wish
but even then you must return to the watering hole to live

God's Word is like the watering hole

it is Life
you cannot afford to pass it by
you need His Word to live 

-- Lynn Jung


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