Empty Wells

“Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” John 4:15

A friend sent me a book last week called Sipping Saltwater by Steve Hoppe, and I wanted to share a bit about it on here today. The title intrigued me a lot. If you’ve been to the ocean, you know what a mouthful of saltwater tastes like and you certainly wouldn’t want to sit and drink any of it.

We’ve all heard tales of shipwrecked sailors clinging to life because they don’t have fresh water. We all know what it’s like to be thirsty on a hot day. Imagine being completely surrounded by cool water but unable to drink it.

What happens when a thirsty person drinks saltwater? It basically shrivels you up from the inside. Lovely thought, no? It might satisfy for a moment, but in the end it will dehydrate and even kill you.

The premise of the book is that we are all in some way or another sitting around “sipping saltwater” by thirsting after things that 1) don’t satisfy and 2) will eventually do us great harm. We sip, we drink, we chug, we get addicted to things that dry us out and leave us thirstier than before. We shop. We drink. Eat. Exercise. Work. Obsess. Worry. You name it.

Too much social media? Saltwater.

An overly packed family schedule? Saltwater.

Knowing more about Hollywood stars than the people under your own roof? Saltwater.

Good things turn into harmful idols because we turn to the thing itself to take away that thirst.

The good news? The Bible has lots of things to say about this dilemma of ours.

Come, all you who are thirsty,

come to the waters;

and you who have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without cost.

Why spend money on what is not bread,

and your labor on what does not satisfy?

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,

and you will delight in the richest of fare.”

Isaiah 55:1-2

We are spending money on what does not satisfy. Isaiah is warning the people to quit wasting their time. Interesting that no matter the time in history, this is a problem for us. I wonder what people in Biblical times thirsted after? If they had this problem, how much more do we need to pay attention? Are times are unique, but he condition of our hearts is ever-wandering. We are chasing after things that don’t satisfy.

Time to start eating what is good – not sipping on saltwater. Jesus tells us when we satisfy ourselves in Him, we won’t ever thirst after these other things (John 4:14). It doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy them, but that they’re actually much more enjoyable when in their right place. Enjoy the blessings, the work, the shopping, the entertainment… but not above fellowship with Jesus or others. It’ll dry you up inside like saltwater.

We have to recognize our natural condition is to thirst after something, but that only one thing can fulfill it. Jesus promises to satisfy that condition. The more we try to do it ourselves, the worse it gets.

It’s probably going to be a crazy week for most of us, more than usual with the approach of Christmas. Take a break in your day to let Him be the water you need.

We must be careful of the ‘wells without water” and the “polluted wells” that instead of offering what satisfies, are bone dry or poisoned (2 Peter 2:17, Proverbs 25:26). We have one source, one well from which we draw. The rest is just drying us up inside.

We are all like the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus meets us and offers us something we can’t draw on our own. Jesus, give us that water, that we may not thirst not waste our time at empty or poisoned wells.