Have you ever been hungry—I mean truly hungry, having not eaten for a couple days? I have you ever been thirsty—your mouth so dry you can’t even swallow? Have you ever thought your soul may be starving and thirsting?
We all experience hunger to some degree. Otherwise, how would we know it was time to eat, to feed our bodies, to give it the energy it needs to function? We all experience thirst. We know we need liquid, especially water, to keep our bodies from shriveling up like a prune.
Our souls, or spirits, need to be fed as well. Jesus uses the analogy of food and water to make this point to people as He taught. In today’s passage, He is talking with the woman at the well. Now, this isn’t just any woman—she is a Samaritan. If you know Jewish history, you know the Jews and the Samaritans do not like each other.
Samaritans resided in the region known as Samaria. They were a mixed race, consisting of Israelites, Mesopotamians, and Assyrians. They followed the Pentateuch from a religious perspective, which is the first five books of the Bible, also known as the books of Moses.
As you may know, this interaction between Jesus and the woman was quite revealing. Jesus knew she had been married five times and the man she was living with was not her husband. He also knew she needed what He was offering to make her whole and bring her into the kingdom of God.
Jesus knew what her soul needed, and He knows what our souls need. We need to be fed. We need to be given fresh water. Our souls need these to be energized, strengthened, and sustained to be who He desires us to be. Jesus freely offers what we need, even when we don’t realize we need it.
We feed and give drink to our bodies. Yet, we often starve and dehydrate our souls. We feed them junk food and toxic drink. We allow our souls to be corrupted by the world rather than providing them pure spiritual food and drink.
We can only strengthen our souls by turning to Jesus. We do that not only by committing to Him, but by reading and studying God’s Word. We feed our soul by interacting with other Christians. We get a cool drink of water in prayer to God. We are refreshed, strengthened, and energized to continue the work He has designated for each of us.
I pray we all feed our souls with spiritual food. I pray we turn to Jesus to drink from the eternal spring. I pray each one of us give up the junk food of the world in exchange for the healthy diet of God’s Word. Be fed. Drink pure water. Turn to Jesus. Cleanse your soul. Strengthen your soul. Be energized. Be refreshed.
John 4:13-14 Jesus answered, “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.”
Marty Pressey 