I’ve been sitting with John 4 this morning for almost an hour. And I have nothing … at least nothing that has moved from head to hands (as far as typing a meditation).
Well, that’s not entirely true. I do have something. I have the Samaritan woman. I have Jesus. I have the story of what happened at Jacob’s well. I have the image of living water. I have a woman whose eyes were opened to truth. I have that same woman running to her village to invite people to “come and see.” I have a whole village coming out to see Jesus.
But “the” thought escapes me. You know the one. The light bulb that goes off in your head that makes you stop reading and say, “There it is. That’s what I want to write about.”
Nothing. So I’ve just kept sitting here. Staring out the window at the beautiful sunny morning. With the clock ticking and 8 am approaching.
And perhaps that’s the Pondering for today.
We often think that our time with Scripture should always produce … something. An insight. An answer. A new idea. Something we can underline, remember, share, or write about.
But maybe sometimes God invites us to sit at the well, re-read a well-known story, and once again hear Jesus speak to us.
The Samaritan woman wasn’t looking for a theological revelation that day. She was looking for well water. She got a conversation with Jesus and a different kind of water.
Maybe I don’t always have to come looking for a theological revelation either. Maybe sometimes I just need to listen.
As I read John 4 this morning, I noticed that Jesus doesn’t seem to be in a hurry at Jacob’s well. He talks. He listens. He asks questions. He waits. All to help a woman who came looking for water find something she didn’t know she needed.
So this morning, I’m still sitting at the well. I haven’t found the profound thought I was looking for. But perhaps I don’t need to. Perhaps, this morning, God is inviting me to invite you to join me at the well.
Where together, we can sit. Stay with Jesus. Listen. Wait. Ask a question or two, or let the silence be silence. And trust that even if we don’t feel like anything is happening, Jesus is still sitting beside us at the well.
Maybe that’s enough for today. It’s probably enough for most days. What do you think?
