Drop That Bucket.

“You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep.” she said to the strange man who offered her a drink. No, not just a drink, but a promise that if she drank, she would never thirst again. Water was what she came seeking. And she knew how to get it. After all, the well had always met her need before. She had the process down. Bring your vessel to the well, lower it into the water, and bring it back up full. But this time it was different. She suddenly recognized a need for something that she couldn’t figure out how to get. And the man in front of her didn’t seem to be inclined to use traditional methods.


What do we do when we are met with a need we can‘t meet with our usual solutions? When the doctor says “I don‘t know what to do.” He’s been your well and suddenly, he can’t draw water any more. Or when a job is gone. When a friend leaves. When your peace is destroyed or your heart is broken. Suddenly, you need a source of water. You know where that water usually comes from; you‘ve been going to the well for it. You might even think you see it, way down at the bottom. This time, though, the well is deep and there is nothing to draw with.


As we focus on traditional solutions, we forget that God may plan to meet our need in a way that we do not expect. Certainly, the Samaritan woman thought she had it figured out. I smile when she asks “Where are you getting this water? Are you greater than Jacob, who dug this well?” I like to think that Jesus laughed inside as He anticipated her surprise and joy when her revelation came.


This is the heart of the matter. Do you believe He is greater than your trusted wells? It’s easy to think that we have come up with the best answer for our problems and to tell God so when we pray. We may not say “What, You think you have a better solution?” But we sometimes we ask “How are you going to do this? I don’t see a way.” We focus on the solution that we see at the bottom of the well. We focus on the fact that there is nothing to draw with. But Jesus isn’t in the well. He is greater than the well. He is the water.


I love the way the Samaritan woman leaves her water pot when she understands who Jesus is and where her water is coming from. To me, this is a picture of giving control of our supply to God. We see it in those who truly understand that Jesus is the water. Peter drops his nets. Matthew swipes the coins off the table. The woman with the issue of blood sheds her dignity and her doctors to crawl to the hem of His garment. David rejects Saul’s armor. The lame man puts away his begging mat. The blind man stops asking for alms and asks for mercy. They no longer hold onto the things they have been trusting in to sustain them.


What are seeking? Into what well are you gazing, thinking that the answer to your need is at the bottom. Instead of leaning stubbornly over a well, let me encourage you to lift up your eyes and focus on the one who is the water. When you do, you will understand that He is greater than the things you have been trusting in to sustain you. How does the song go? “He may not come when you want Him, but He’ll be there right on time.” Well, He also may not come from where you expect Him or do things the way you asked Him. But He’ll be there. On time. With enough. In the right way. You’ll drop your water pot, too.