Everyone is thirsty. Everyone is on an endless search for something that satisfies. We seek for more knowledge; we dive into higher education, and then a professional career. We also strive to accumulate riches. We engage in sports, music, and leisure. We organize social gatherings, nurture friendships, and so on. Each of these things is a kind of “water” that cannot quench our thirst. Every human being tastes this “water”, but is never satisfied. In fact, the more we drink this water, the thirstier we become. The words that Jesus spoke to a thirsty woman, mentioned in the Gospel of John, explain this experience: “Whoever drinks of this water will still be thirsty” (4:13). These words are simple, but their meaning is very profound. The “water” here symbolizes the enjoyment of material things and the happiness that the pleasures of the world give. These things cannot quench the thirst that we feel deep within us. In fact, the more that we “drink these things”, the more our thirst grows. Thus, we need another kind of water.

The water that quenches our thirst is Jesus Christ. “But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst. And the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water gushing unto eternal life.” (John 4:14.) Jesus thus speaks here of another water, a source of water that gushes unto eternal life. This water is Himself (John 4:10)! By his death, Christ redeemed us from our sins, and in His resurrection He became the life-giving Spirit. As the Spirit, He can give Himself to us as living water that we can drink (1 Corinthians 15:45; 12:13; John 7:38-39). He is available to us and is able to quench our thirst. He is the living water that satisfies us today, tomorrow, and for eternity.

The way to drink this living water is to confess your sins, accept His forgiveness, and believe that He lives for you. You can simply tell Him:

Lord Jesus, thank You for dying for my sins. I confess that I have tried to satisfy myself with many things. Lord Jesus, I’m thirsty! Take my sin. I praise You for being the living water. Lord, I receive You; enter into me! Fill me with Your life!

Prayer, reading the Bible, and meeting with other Christians are three ways that help us to grow in the divine life and in the knowledge of the truth.

— Anonymous author, translated from French