Jesus Sees Through It

I had the chance recently to write a devotional for a women's devotional book. I wanted to share it here too. It's on the woman at the well. And by the way, I'm having a great day today...

John 4:15-19 

The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 

He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 

“I have no husband,” she replied. 

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” 

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 

I’m having a bad day. Well, truth be told, I’m having a string of bad days. Some of the reasons for this run of bad days are legitimate. I’m battling cancer and having difficulty handling the side effects of the chemotherapy. My son is having a hard time learning some new concepts at school. I’m worn out from teaching my children how to share and get along. We are in the middle of a busy season of life. But some of what’s going on with me are not legitimate reasons for having a bad day. I’m refusing to see the blessings - of love and support and provision - and let them touch my heart. I know it’s wrong.

I sit on my Facebook page, knowing I need to send out an update about life because a lot of people are concerned and praying for me, but I’m unable to put any words in that little box. I feel like I need to “edit” some of what I want to say – glam it up a bit, make it a little more “Christian-y.” It’s not just on Facebook either. When I pray, I catch myself generalizing what my struggles are instead of honestly confessing my sin and conversing with the One who can intervene in the midst of my situation.

When I read today’s passage, I was glad to see that I am not the first woman Jesus had dealt with who had glossed over her sin. This woman came to the well in the middle of the day so she could avoid her “social network.” She had been offered living, eternal water, and she wanted to know how to get it. Then, Jesus cuts through all the stuff she’s hiding behind to preserve her damaged reputation and says, “Go call your husband, and come here.” Trying to hang onto her decency, she honestly replies, “I have no husband.” Then Jesus zones in like a laser beam, and He reveals her sins of infidelity and adultery. Her response? “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.”

This woman wanted an ice pack and a band-aid for her big problem, but Jesus went in like a skilled surgeon on the needs of her heart. And before we chuckle at her too much, we must recognize how much we can be like her. Instead of glossing over a sin or “fancying up” a struggle, allow Jesus to pierce your heart. He knows your burden better than you do. Allow the One who created you to finish the work He’s doing in you so that you can minister authentically.