Last week, we looked at a psalm that David wrote while he was in a cave in fear for his life and away from family and loved ones with no assurance of what will happen to him. In this most adverse circumstance David made a powerful decision and declared, “I will bless the Lord at all times and His praise will continuously be on my lips” (Ps 34:1). Because of his response, David was able to be content regardless of his environment and affirmed that, “Those that seek the Lord lack no good thing” (Ps 34:10).

This week, we take a look at a story from John 4:1-26 involving a woman, from a town in Samaria called Sychar, who comes to draw water from a landmark well. Jews usually made sure to avoid going through Samaria due to the long history of bad blood between Jews and Samaritans caused by centuries of war and division. However, John 4:4 states that, “[Jesus] needed to go through Samaria.” Jesus was on a mission as he sat and waited for this woman to come to this well. Her encounter with Jesus would forever change her life and bring her fulfillment, revelation, and empowerment.

A fresh encounter with God always begins with God pursuing us first. The foundation of our faith relies completely on God’s relentless pursuit of us, as well as any element of faith we currently see at work in our lives. If our faith is based on anything other than God’s pursuance, then we are operating in our own strength, which is an unsure foundation. God pursues us because he desires us and there isn’t any sin too great that will discourage him from doing so. Jesus’ invitation to us is that we have an authentic encounter with him through honest conversation and intimate communion. Paul understood this concept as he prayed for the church in Ephesus that, “The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better” (Eph 1:17).

In addition, a fresh encounter with Jesus addresses the deepest voids and misconceptions of our hearts. Whether we admit it or not, we all experience voids in our lives and we often erroneously run after things that were never meant to fill them. We also have to unlearn many distorted views we hold by renewing our minds (Rom 12:2). When talking with the Samaritan woman, Jesus was not afraid to address all the cultural, religious, ethnic, and gender misconceptions she had, as well as the relational voids she had experienced with five failed marriages. Our voids should only lead us back to God. While in the desert of Judah, David exemplified this understanding, as he wrote, “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Ps 63:1). Unless we allow God’s encounter to fill our voids, we will never receive the unconditional acceptance, love, approval, and affirmation we seek.

Lastly, a fresh encounter leads to a revelation of who God is. When talking to Jesus, the Samaritan woman finally admits that she was waiting for the Messiah to come someday and explain everything (John 4:25). It was then that Jesus revealed to her, “I who speak to you am he” (John 4:26). Only Jesus Christ himself can make himself known to us through an authentic encounter. We may have heard and read about Jesus, but have we met him? Sadly today, every other voice that is not his is heard and received louder than his is. With a fresh revelation of Jesus, the woman dropped her water jar and ran into her town to tell everyone about her encounter. The same pursuit and invitation Jesus made to the Samaritan woman is made to us all. Jesus declares in John 7:37, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” Let us step away from the noise and take the time to meet with God, have an authentic encounter with him, and pray that we may know him better.