I discovered in the wilderness that the Samaritan woman at the well symbolizes all of us who have used their best efforts to satisfy the yearning for love and completion. She had five failed marriages (I had two), lived in guilt and shame and intentionally avoided everyone because of the rejection she was carrying. Seemingly out of nowhere, Jesus walks onto the scene and asks her for a drink and she debates Him. This sound so familiar, doesn’t it?

This is brilliant—Jesus responds, “If you only knew…” What is He really getting at here? He is inviting us to give Him all the stuff that keeps us thirsting in life, because what He has is better. In the case of the Samaritan woman, every time she jumps into another relationship, she thinks it will satisfy her, but it doesn’t. What is it for you?

He offers Himself to be the completer of her life and yours. She debates Him when He asks for a drink. How many times has Jesus asked you for a drink and you respond with debate? How many times have you been in failed, broken situations over and over again? Her situation was five failed marriages. Maybe this is not you, but there are probably five failed things in your life that have left you thirsty over and over again.

The woman at the well desperately journeyed through life searching for her heart’s true desire never finding it. Like the woman at the well, we don’t understand that we are trying to fill a void in our lives that can only be filled by God. Jesus cuts to the core of our pain because no matter how many relationships we have or how much money we have or how many possessions we have or whatever the case may be—if we don’t have Christ, we will always be thirsty. Nothing the world has to offer will quench this thirst, but when we invite Jesus into the details of our lives, the thirst will be quenched with living water. If we choose not to acknowledge this void we have in our hearts, like the Samaritan woman, we too will make many lonely trips to well of our disappointments carrying our jars of brokenness. Here is the awesome part of this scene—she did not set the appointment, God did!

Maybe you have tried to satisfy your spiritual thirst with the things this world has to offer and haven’t found the satisfaction you are looking for. You didn’t find it in that relationship. You didn’t find it in that object. You didn’t even find it in religious activities. The only place you will find it is in Jesus Christ.

Did you ever consider that the woman at the well symbolizes all of us who have used their best efforts to satisfy the yearning for love and completion?

Let’s take a quick inventory of her life:

• She had five failed marriages (I had two)
• Lived in guilt,
• Was crippled by shame
• Intentionally avoided everyone because of rejection
• Lonely

Wow, I could really relate to this! You?

Her situation was five failed marriages, what is it for you?