Dear Friends,
As February begins, we focus on three important stories in the calendar: Black history month, Valentine’s Day, and Lent, the beginning of a time to prepare our hearts for Easter. Today, I thought what better way to tie all of these themes together than to consider the truest love anyone has ever known, the love that transcends all human divides, the sacrificial love that transforms us wholly. Enjoy this excerpt from From Recovery to Restoration, and the story of a marginalized woman who became a true worshiper of Jesus.
Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah? John 4:29, NLT
Recovery can make us feel stuck—stuck in isolation, stuck in guilt—whether legitimate or false, stuck in joylessness. The Samaritan woman of John 4 knew something about being stuck. She was stuck in a disastrous cycle of loving and losing men. Into this mucky rut, Jesus pursues her and pursues us, freeing us to do what we were made to do—to enjoy and glorify God.
The lonely Samaritan woman went daily at high noon to draw water, seeking to fill her thirst. She expected to be alone then, to escape the harsh glares of her disapproving community. Imagine her astonishment when a Jewish man crossed the cultural and racial divide to speak to her, a woman, a Samaritan. Imagine her astonishment when this Jewish teacher seemed to know “everything” about her, that the man she was currently living with was not her husband. Imagine her astonishment when this Jewish teacher didn’t splash condemnation on her but instead poured out the truth and hope that her thirsty heart craved (John 4:9-26).
Jesus did not come to condemn the Samaritan woman, nor did he come to condemn us; he came to expose our need for a Savior. He came to her and to us to restore us to community, to cover our shame, to fill our thirst. Jesus was on a mission from the Father, seeking out people who would “worship in spirit and in truth” (4:24 NLT), people who would enjoy and glorify God.
When the Samaritan woman reckoned with the truth about her condition and realized Jesus was the Messiah, she was instantly, radically changed. She dropped her water jar and headed to town, back to the very same people she had previously avoided, to share the good news: “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” (John 4:29 NLT). She was un-stuck. She moved freely and joyously, running un-self-consciously. She must hurry to tell others, because the news she had was so great to give.
The Samaritan woman’s radical transformation highlights Jesus’ mercy to us when we are stuck in the ruts of recovery. Jesus seeks us in our hiding to draw us into community with the triune God and with fellow believers. He seeks us in our joylessness to remind us of our joy in him. He seeks us in our thirst to supply the living water that frees us to worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
When we seek out the Jesus who has already sought us out, we will be restored as worshippers of the Father. We will be unstuck, freed to move far beyond the recovery room. We will run with the Samaritan woman, moving out into the world to tell others about the Messiah who came to save us from our sins. We will enjoy and glorify God.
Prayer
Jesus,
In this season, when we feel so stuck, we cry out to you. Free our hearts, souls, minds, and spirits so that we might tell others the good news about you. In your saving name. Amen.
Further Encouragement
Read John 4:1-42.
Listen to “Joyful, Joyful” by Casting Crowns at https://youtu.be/AfNS0nxHXhc.
For Reflection
In what ways do you feel stuck right now? Ask Jesus to free you to see God’s might and mercy in this area.
