The Lord God says:
'Share your bread
with the hungry,
bring the homeless poor
into your house,
cover the naked.'

Dear Lord God,
We have got
new carpets,
so this will
not be possible.

This is a simple discipline to still our wandering bodies and keep us in a place of contemplative prayer. Fill a jug with water. Take it with a glass to a place where you won't be disturbed. Nip to the loo before you go (very important!) The idea is that you will stay in that spot till you finish the jug. Sometimes it's good to give ourselves targets and discipline to increase our spiritual stamina. Open your Bible to John 4:1-30, to read and drink, savouring the truth and refreshment of the "spring of water welling up to eternal life."

The Pharisees heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more followers than John, although Jesus himself did not baptize people, but his followers did. Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard about him, so he left Judea and went back to Galilee. But on the way he had to go through the country of Samaria. In Samaria Jesus came to the town called Sychar, which is near the field Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus was tired from his long trip, so he sat down beside the well. It was about twelve o’clock noon. When a Samaritan woman came to the well to get some water, Jesus said to her, "Please give me a drink." (This happened while Jesus’ followers were in town buying some food.) Jesus said to her, "You are right to say you have no husband. Really you have had five husbands, and the man you live with now is not your husband. You told the truth."
The woman said, "Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where people must worship." Just then his followers came back from town and were surprised to see him talking with a woman. But none of them asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?"
Then the woman left her water jar and went back to town. She said to the people, "Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did. Do you think he might be the Christ?" So the people left the town and went to see Jesus. Jesus said, "Believe me, woman. The time is coming when neither in Jerusalem nor on this mountain will you actually worship the Father. You Samaritans worship something you don’t understand. We understand what we worship, because salvation comes from the Jews. The time is coming when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, and that time is here already. You see, the Father too is actively seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
The woman said, "I know that the Messiah is coming." (Messiah is the One called Christ.) "When the Messiah comes, he will explain everything to us."
Then Jesus said, "I am he—I, the one talking to you." Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty. The water I give will become a spring of water gushing up inside that person, giving eternal life."
The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so I will never be thirsty again and will not have to come back here to get more water."
Jesus told her, "Go get your husband and come back here."
The woman answered, "I have no husband." The woman said, "I am surprised that you ask me for a drink, since you are a Jewish man and I am a Samaritan woman." (Jewish people are not friends with Samaritans.)
Jesus said, "If you only knew the free gift of God and who it is that is asking you for water, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."
The woman said, "Sir, where will you get this living water? The well is very deep, and you have nothing to get water with. Are you greater than Jacob, our father, who gave us this well and drank from it himself along with his sons and flocks?"

It was probably quite easy for you to purloin your glass of water. You turned on the tap and it was there. For Jesus to get his life-giving water to the Samaritan woman, he had to traverse a few dams. He shouldn't have been speaking to her because (1) she was a Samaritan, (2) she was a woman, and (3) she was at a well. Ancient Jewish writings speak of "old Jews wanting wives" who would frequent the wells where young women came to draw water (a traditional role). Because of this, wells could also be the "red light districts" of an area. Are you beginning to see how bad this could look for Jesus? This is evidenced by the stunned reaction of the disciples on their return. But Jesus has a divine appointment to bring eternal refreshment, and nothing will stand in his way.

Take some time. Savour the water as you drink, giving thanks that Jesus is willing and able to leap the hurdles that you put in the way of him bringing you eternal refreshment.

Now ask yourself if there are any obstacles that stop you bringing "the water of life" to people. Often those most in need of water smell the worst. We can always find many rational reasons to not help a beggar, or offer someone a bed for the night, or even lend someone our car. Ask God to remove these obstacles, which are usually always about our own pride and control.

Steve Turner's poem sums this up beautifully � The God Letters

The Lord God says:
'Share your bread
with the hungry,
bring the homeless poor
into your house,
cover the naked.'

Dear Lord God,
We have got
new carpets,
so this will
not be possible.

© 2002 rejesus ltd

Stay in that place until you've finished the jug! Leave space and time for God to speak to you and refresh you with his life-giving water.

From God 360°, written and copyright © 2006 Andy Flannagan
Reproduced with permission from Andy Flannagan.