“I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband – for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”
John 4:17-18 NLT
This woman has been seeking living water for quite some time. These six men represent idols to whom she has turned in search of the satisfaction that eludes her.
Some people look to marriage or long-term relationships as the answer to inner needs and desires only to discover with pain that this idol has not worked out. The anticipation of living water is commended by Jesus; its source is specifically within the gift of God alone. In my two marriages, it has taken work to tap into the living water. Only in drawing sustenance from such a spring were we each able to nurture and nourish our marriage – when things appeared to go well and, more importantly, when life events beyond our human capacity enveloped us.
An idol is anything that we invest in with the expectation that it will protect us from life’s challenges. Our worship is expressed in the trust we place within it. It can be a relationship, or financial resources, the image our lifestyle projects or the success we achieve within our career. We draw comfort and confidence from such idols.
This Samaritan woman moved from a position of challenging Jesus to pressing beyond the initial meaning she made of his words to refresh herself in the living water of truth. She acknowledges she isn’t married, yet assumes this will misdirect Jesus. However, he sees to the heart of the matter and announces she is not married, but has invested in idols who have failed her and no doubt disfigured her intended beauty of soul and spirit. This is the fruit of idolatry. For all the security and assurance they appear to offer, idols are false and untrustworthy. God can open our eyes and free us if we choose.
QUESTION
What are the false idols that crave and hold your attention today?
PRAYER
I turn away from false idols to you again, my Master and my Friend; I choose to place you in the throne room of my life.