Broken CisternsSample

BROKEN CISTERNS

Chapter 3: Our Desire Fulfilled

“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” — C. S. Lewis

It seemed like any other day in Samaria. Unlike the other women, who went to the well early, she went at noon (John 4:6).

She had a long record of failed relationships, which had damaged her name and reputation. She wanted to avoid judgment and sidestep gazes, and she'd already had enough of the life she had led. She preferred to arrive alone, later in the day.

And so, that day, in the midst of her routine, she encountered a Man even thirstier than she was. Thirsty—not for water, primarily, but for her faith.

She thought he was just another Jew, looking to chat about politics and religion. But what she didn't know was that this man, more than a prophet, was the Christ.

He knew every dark corner of her life, and he came to her not just to talk, but to show her something that could change the course of her life.

“Unlimited water?” she asked. ‘Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water' (John 4:15, NIV).

It seemed like the perfect offer. The water jar on her shoulder was heavy, the sun scorching, and drawing from such a deep well was no easy task.

But the problem was even deeper and heavier. And before she could receive the promised water, the real problem had to be uncovered. Jesus had to show her where her true well was:

‘[…]Go, call your husband and come back' (John 4:16, NIV).

This request brought to light the woman's heart, and she rightly answered: ‘I have no husband […]’ (John 4:17, NIV).

It wasn't the well that had left her weary. It was the search for limited water in men who could never quench the thirst of her heart.

Jesus answered her: “The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true” (John 4:18, NIV).

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Today I want to ask you: Who are your 'husbands'? What things, like the woman, have you sought to fill your heart and yet still have not satisfied you?

Perhaps, like her, it has been relationships trying to fill your loneliness. Maybe it's about multiple jobs, none of which has ever been enough to satisfy you. Or perhaps you have accumulated many possessions, yet your heart still feels empty.

You may have had much, but even what you now have does not fill you.

Because "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again […]" (John 4:13, ESV)… and Jesus wasn't talking about the well.

He points to our broken cisterns—to our countless 'husbands'.

“But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14, NIV).

And, just like the woman, before receiving the water, we must acknowledge what we have long replaced for the true Fountain of Life.

Take some time today to reflect on the things that have taken God's rightful place in your heart and have become idols. Ask the Lord for forgiveness, bring every unsatisfied desire to His feet, and pray that He may enlighten the eyes of your understanding (Ephesians 1:18) so you can behold Christ, the perfect Husband.

Remember: limited resources cannot satisfy unlimited desires. Only the Eternal can fill hearts created for Eternity.

Leave your broken cistern behind and look to Christ. Be filled with Him, and you will never thirst again.

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of His glory and grace”.

—Hymn: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, Fanny J. Crosby.