Change and Transformation by Father Earnest Graham
Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 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.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
John 4: 13,14
Reference Scripture: John 4:1-26 (New International Version, ©2011)
All of our lives we’ve heard words, words that have molded, shaped, prompted and prodded us to either to be at a standstill or words that literally gave us wings to soar. Not long ago I received an amazing gift from Ann Meyer, I think of it as a welcome gift to St. Martin’s Administrative Team. This gift was an unexpected literary treasure entitled Guerrillas of Grace-Prayers for the Battle by Ted Loder (see inside front cover).
Listen to Me Under My Words
O God, I come to you now
Asa child to my Mother,
Out of the cold which numbs into the warm who cares.
Listen to me inside,
Under my words
Where the shivering is,
In the fears
Which freeze my living,
In the angers
Which chafe my attending,
In the doubts
Which chill my hoping,
In the events
Which shrivel my thanking,
In the pretenses
Which stiffen my loving.
Listen to me, Lord
As a Mother
And hold me warm,
And forgive me.
Soften my experiences
Into wisdom,
My pride
Into acceptance,
My longing
Into trust,
And soften me
Into love
And to others
And to you
Maybe it was the Holy Spirit, maybe it was just a woman of God that sensed I would benefit tremendously from an inspirational book, or just possibly it was our preceding conversation about the office atmosphere that lovingly erects ministry and insulates joy, peace and caring! I don’t know, but I do know that when I read, I began to include this gift of prayers as part of my work day devotional, the words of the prayers scaled my heart matters and reminded me of how sacred my relationship is with God. It’s not taken lightly. So I easily connected with the prayer Listen to Me Under My Words. And really appreciate how God helped make the prayer so relevant to John 4.
So as I read John 4: 1-26 I appreciated the Samaritan woman’s frank and direct conversation had with Jesus. She attempted to earnestly converse. What really seemed apparent for me was that while she spoke, there were deeper issues- layers of words under her words which revealed her disappointment, her outlook, and ultimately her humility. Her sarcasm and loneliness were no stumbling block for Jesus’s replies. Her quizzical nature couldn’t stump or thwart the reality that what Jesus desired for her far outweighed her reality! She had stumbled upon a moment in time that changed her and many generations later to come! She visited the well at a strategic time that God had divinely orchestrated. Jesus’ words of life would become a wellspring to be reinvigorated, renewed and experience transformed natural and spiritual living! Let’s make our way with haste to that well! Don’t you want to go?
Published in Lent Devotional (The Journey to Surrender) 2011 Lenten @ St. Martin's Episcopal Church
Listen to Ce Ce Winans sing: I Surrender ALL and let the music minister to your spirit and renew your outlook!
Revived & Overjoyed!
Linda Mose Meadows, Urban Views Weekly Columnist and Inspirational Author of: The Blessedness of Believing A Devotional Journey of Life’s Lessons and God’s Promises and Co-publisher of Eyes of Faith Magazine
http://blessednessofbelieving.blogspot.com/
http://blessedauthorlm.wordpress.com/
http://eyesoffaithmagazine.blogspot.com/
