Ask Jesus for living water in prayer

In desert areas around Israel, natural springs or fountains were known as the “eye” of the landscape.  It would be a place of refuge, living water that sustained thirsty and weary desert dwellers. 

​These natural springs are bright sparkling “eyes” of the desert. 

In the Old Testament God found a weary slave girl named Hagar by a well spring in the desert. 

Genesis 16:7- The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a

spring

in the desert; it was the

spring

that is beside the road to Shur.

​It is here, by this spring, that Hagar named God, “the God who sees me”. 

​Genesis 16:13- She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”

​Notice, they saw each other.  Hagar makes it clear that God saw her and she saw God.  It was the life sustaining drink she needed. 

​God led me to a “Hagar” this week.  I met some friends for coffee and the entire time, God was burdening my heart for the young girl who served us.  

After my friends left, I went up to her and told her that God was burdening my heart for her.  She began to cry immediately.  She tried to hold herself together while I was telling her that Jesus sees her and loves her.  Do you know what she said?  She said, “Lately I’ve been wondering, really wondering if God is real, if He sees me.”  She is desperate for living water to sustain and give life to her soul.  She needs the living water of Christ’s Spirit. 

​Water as God intends is living.  It is pure, Heaven sent and gives our soul life giving “sight”.  I assume that is why the word spring is the Hebrew word ayin (ah-yin) and appears 495 times as the word “eye” and 216 times as “sight”.  Yet it also appears as “spring” 11 times and “well” 11 times. 

​What did Jesus say about fountains (or rivers) of living water?  It was for our soul.

​John 7:37-39- On the

last and greatest day

of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a

loud voice

, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

By this he meant the Spirit

, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

​Do you know what festival was Jesus attending?  What is the significance of him speaking in a “loud voice” on the “last and greatest day” of this festival? 

It was the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2) which at one point in Jewish history had a water ceremony added as part of the 7 day celebration.*  Every morning of this festival, priests, musicians, and worshippers would parade from the Water Gate as the priest would sing or shout, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation”, see Isaiah 12:3.  They would be accompanied by trumpet blasts and singers.  There was one that was the greatest and most celebratory.  Apparently ancient rabbis wrote, “Anyone who has not seen this water ceremony has never seen rejoicing in his life.” *

The water celebration symbolized dependence upon God for blessing their harvest and providing living water to sustain His people.  Water could be quite scarce in the desert and God’s people depended upon Him to provide the living water from Heaven or from the springs that bubbled up from the desert rocks.  

When Jesus shouted loudly for people to come to Him for living water, He was telling people that He was God.  He boldly shouted for them to get their living water by drinking from water of His Spirit.   This was a provocative statement meant to address the great division at this festival about who Jesus was, read John 7.

We celebrate Easter; but we don’t celebrate waiting on the Spirit.  My personal opinion is that we should celebrate it.  I see blessing in asking for the Spirit, to be filled, to want more.  Jesus said to ask and keep on asking, (Luke 18:1, Luke 11:11-13).

Luke 11:11-13- Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

​​​We are approaching the Feast of Tabernacles, 50 days post Passover (Easter).  The greatly anticipated water ceremony of the Spirit being poured out from Heaven as gift, also known as Pentecost.  This year the official date lands on Sunday, June 4th.  It was poured out as promised, see Acts 2:1.

​Take the next many days to ask for more of the Spirit.  Ask to be filled with more!  Be like a child, ask for more!  Jesus taught persistence in asking, shameless audacity, Luke 11:8.  Go to him at midnight, wait on Him and pursue him at uncomfortable hours, outside of your norm.  Watch with Him for an hour.  Position yourself by the well, He sees you.  Tell him how much you need more living water for your thirsty soul.  Be blessed and filled!  He rewards those who earnestly seek Him!

​Hebrews 11:6- And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

* http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14185-tabernacles-feast-of