The Well, a Spiritual Journey

Introduction

During the first few years of my Christian journey, I was on fire for God. I was always reading the Bible, studying constantly, and sitting under some of the greatest Bible teachers of all time. More importantly, I practiced what I read. I laid hands on the sick, and they recovered; I cast out demons, and they left; and I preached in areas of the city where few would dare to set foot. As the years went by, I continued to read and study. My conclusion up to this point was that the closer I got to God, the more I would be able to fulfill His mission, with signs and wonders following.

“And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:17-18, ESV)

All this time, as I was drawing closer to Him, I did not realize that I was relying on my own well of knowledge and understanding. I began to lose my innocence in the things of God as I learned more and more. I failed to recognize that if I wanted to continue seeing “signs and wonders following,” I had to draw from His well, not mine. I believe this is still true today for many well-meaning Christians, just as it was for me. I say this because I no longer see “signs and wonders following” as I did in my earlier days. Instead, I observe much of the “name it and claim it” teaching persisting among unaware, innocent Christians. This includes claims of provision, healing, prosperity, and overall well-being for oneself, family, and friends. I often hear, “As long as it’s in the Bible, it must be true.” While this statement is accurate in claiming God’s promises, we must ensure we are drawing from His well and not our own.

Definitions

OC

Oswald Chambers – Much of the inspiration for this paper comes from Oswald Chambers’ daily devotional My Utmost for His Highest, specifically the entries dated February 26th and 29th.

The Well

This refers to Jacob’s well in Samaria, referenced in John 4:5-15 (ESV). There have been many sermons and teachings written about this chapter of the Bible. My approach is that this well can also represent the well of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge that is divine and can only reside within the mind of Christ. It contains “Living Water” that we must draw from daily if we are to be an over-comer and walk with Christ Himself.

LCP

Leland Charles Perry (Me)

Representations of a Well in the Bible (Click here for source.)

Symbolic Representations

• • Wells symbolize the depth of our souls and our thirst for spiritual fulfillment. They represent the source of life and the divine presence within us.

• • Just as physical wells provide sustenance, spiritual wells symbolize the abundance and sustenance that God offers to our souls.

• • Wells also symbolize the journey of faith, as they require effort and perseverance to dig and maintain, reflecting the spiritual journey of seeking and cultivating a relationship with God.

Spiritual Nourishment:

• • Wells serve as a source of refreshment and renewal for the weary traveler. Similarly, spiritual wells provide nourishment and rejuvenation for our souls.

• • They offer the living water of God’s Word, quenching our spiritual thirst and satisfying our deepest longings.

• • Through prayer, meditation, and reflection, we can draw from the spiritual well and experience the transformative power of God’s presence in our lives.

• • Just as a well brings people together to quench their physical thirst, it also serves as a gathering place for communities to connect and share their lives.

• • Wells become a symbol of unity, reflecting the importance of communal relationships and the mutual support found within a community.

Wells as places of encounter

• • Throughout Scripture, wells are often the settings for significant encounters between individuals. These encounters aren’t mere coincidences but divine appointments where lives are changed and destinies are altered.

• • The encounter at the well between Jesus and the Samaritan woman exemplifies how wells can serve as a meeting point for divine intervention and transformation.

Key Takeaways from the Bible

• • Wells symbolize the depth of our souls and our thirst for spiritual fulfillment.

• • Spiritual wells provide nourishment and rejuvenation for our souls.

• • Wells serve as metaphors for spiritual renewal and transformation.

• • Wells represent a source of divine provision in Scripture.

Significant Wells of the Bible (Click here for source)

The Well in Biblical Times

You can easily picture daily life surrounding the well in biblical times. Villages were built around sources of water. The Holy Land at that time was mostly desert, and water was imperative to sustain daily life. Wells were most likely the center of daily activity. It appears that the women and servants of the village performed the task of drawing water and probably communed there, exchanging village news and gossip. My foundation for this paper comes from the story in the Bible of “The Woman at the Well” found in the book of John.

“So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’ (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?’ (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink,” you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.’” (John 4:5-15, ESV)

Drawing Water From this Well

In biblical times, drawing water from a well was a daily task. Wells were a place of encounter in the Bible. This is represented in Genesis 24:11-20 with our introduction to Rebekah, in Exodus 2:15-21 with Moses fleeing Egypt to Midian, and in John 4:5-15 above. Isaiah 12:3 reads:

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” (Isaiah 12:3-6)

I speak from experience when I say that many times I trusted in my knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of spiritual things in order to get spiritual results, whether for healing or prayer requests. I failed to draw from His well and instead drew from my own. My innocence in the things of God was lost. Only Christ can provide the “Living Water” that we need daily for spiritual sustenance. Without it, we become spiritually dehydrated, weak, and without power. As our bodies need water so do our spirit. Without it prayers are prayed with weak expectation. Faith becomes a byword rather than a reality, and a total trust in God for all things. We will lack the realization that we must rely on God daily for all our needs.

Example

How many times are we placed in an impossible situation and turn to our common sense for understanding or a solution, praying and expecting God to respond in a certain way? This is a disturbance in our spirit. It may be in regard to poor health, relationships, or simply everyday living. We must be persistent in our faith, but we must also continuously remind ourselves that He does not work in common-sense ways as we do—this is what gets us into trouble. God only works in supernatural ways. By drawing from His well, I know He is able to provide the impossible. Regardless of the impossibility before me, He is God Almighty. I don’t know when, I don’t know how, but I know He will do the impossible. In this, I can place my steadfast faith.

“The agony we suffer is only the result of the deliberate shallowness of our own heart. We can’t believe; we won’t let go by severing the line that secures the boat to the shore—we prefer to worry.” —Oswald Chambers

Drawing from our own well is a pure lack of faith, a shallowness of heart, and an insult to our God. Strong words, but true.

Conclusion

We must all learn to draw from His well and not our own. It is a learning process. Am I seeing more signs and wonders yet? No. This revelation is still new to me, and I am still working to burn it within my spirit and soul. However, I am slowly moving beyond hope and into great expectation.

“O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water.” (Jeremiah 17:13, ESV)

Prayer

“Forgive me, Lord, for having few misgivings about myself but many about You, forgetting how small my understanding is of Your love, faithfulness, and power. Show me personally how I should be drawing from Your well under all circumstances, that I may walk in humility but with wisdom and knowledge from above, fulfilling Your great commission.” LCP

Enough Said

“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by Thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” (Jeremiah 15:16, ESV)