Living With Unmet Longing: A Study of the Woman at the WellSample

At the beginning of this study, we met a woman who was horribly lonely. Her six long-term romantic relationships left her hardened and heartbroken. She ran her errands at the hottest part of the day to avoid people in her town.

But when no one else wanted her, the God of the universe went out of his way to meet her at the well.

Jesus did not ignore her. He did not make polite conversation and get back to his own agenda. He didn’t shame her for her past mistakes. Yes, he exposed her heartaches and mistakes, but with a beautiful motive. He was drawing her to himself because it is impossible to be fully loved without being fully known.

Jesus offered her, and every person reading this, the thing we all long for: perfect acceptance—to be pursued—to be delighted in—to be loved so deeply, despite our flaws, that God himself would become man to suffer and die so we might never be separated from him again.

What happens when we experience this kind of love? Like the woman, we are forever changed. She left her water jar by the well and ran back to the very people who had rejected her and told them about Jesus.

She couldn’t stop talking about what it felt like to be seen and embraced. She was set free from the prison of insecurity that held her captive.

Everything changes when you know you’re loved. My hope and prayer for you is that this story of the radical unrelenting love of Christ has captivated your heart in a fresh way. His steadfast love is the living water that promises us, “you will never thirst again.”

Here’s one last prayer to conclude our study:

Heavenly Father, I want to experience all of your love for me. I want to know how high and deep and wide your love is. I need a fresh encounter with your presence—I long to have all my longings met in you. Would you fill me to the brim with love so I can overflow onto others who don’t know you yet. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Was this plan helpful? We adapted this plan from When It Hurts to Hope: Honest Conversations About Living with Unmet Longingby Rachel Miller.