But, Sir

 

 

 

“But Sir, You don’t have a rope or a bucket…” John 4:11

 

 

The woman at the well, we all know her story.  Jesus, tired from a long walk, stops to rest in a Samaritan village by the well of Jacob. There He meets a woman, asks her for a drink, and then proceeds to offer her Living Water.  She responds saying, "But sir, you don't have a rope or a bucket, and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water?” (John 4:11)

Oh, the humanness!

I have been that woman so many times.

There are days when I allow myself to get pulled under by circumstances. Days when I doubt His ability to provide, I push aside or fail to recognize that His name is Jehovah Jireh, the One who provides. It’s one of His promises.

There are days when I feel guilt over some mistake in my parenting. Or I feel like I’m not doing enough to build meaningful relationships with my children. And I selfishly forget that He died for me, so that I wouldn’t have to heap that guilt up in my heart till it comes bursting out in sorrow and tears. I seem to shove His beautiful grace under the rug and with all the rest of the collected dirt.

There are days when I let anxiety overwhelm me and it consumes my thoughts and pours out into my actions. I forget that He is my Shepherd, He is my Fortress, He is my Conqueror.

I limit Him.

Hand in the air palm up stating “STOP! You can’t handle ALL this! I’ll take it from here.”

How foolish.

He’s POWER. He’s LOVE.  He’s GRACE. He’s MERCY. He’s PROVIDER.  HE’S GOD!

In my human limitedness, I limit the power of God because I fail to trust. I get caught up in the moment and forget His awesome power.  Life gets difficult, stressful, overwhelming and I try to conquer.  I wrack my brain trying to figure a way out of  financial difficulties. I attempt to beat the sickness of fear by sheer will power. I fight through each day to beat the stress that threatens to overtake me. I throw my hands up in frustration from the bad attitudes exploding out of my children.  Some days I feel like I’m barely hanging on by my fingertips, yet I just keep on in the same defeated cycle.

What if I stopped saying, “But Sir, You don’t have a rope or a bucket”?

And instead acknowledged the amazing power of  God.  He alone is my strength. He alone is the answer to all of my problems. He alone has the power to change my circumstances.

I’m going to stop staring at the rope and bucket and wondering how in the world God is going to pull me through. I’m turning my gaze upward and letting His love, His power, His grace, surround me with His never ending peace.

Because really, He’s got this!