Are You Awakening Hearts for Christ?
“A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’ . . . 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.) John 4:7-9 (ESV)
Not only was she a Samaritan, but she also experienced daily rejection from her own people because of her lifestyle, which included five failed marriages in her past and an extramarital relationship in her present. I think bold, challenging eye contact was her armor. Her face may have reflected the hardness of one unfair day after another. I imagine there was a forced beauty about her. I wish I knew her name. I would love to friend her on Facebook and meet up for coffee. She knows secrets I need to hear about Jesus’ power to wake up dry, numb hearts.
When Jesus asked for a drink, the first words out of her mouth were echoes of attitudes I’ve encountered as I mentor young women. For every handful of soft, eager learners, I always encounter one heart that’s hard like a rock. These hearts make even an innocent request for a drink into a challenge. I imagine the Samaritan woman pointing her finger at Jesus and spitting out the cold, hard truth of her unworthiness before he had a chance to hurt her with it.
Jesus continued with measured, gentle truth. Defenses firmly in place, the woman tried to ascertain what handouts might be available from this encounter. Her whole world must have felt like it shifted off kilter when he told her things about her past that she thought were safely under lock and key. Unexpectedly, everything changed. A chink in her armor, a soft heart laid bare as her deepest need rose to the surface: redemption. Her next words might have come out as a whisper: “Could this be the Christ?”
“So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?’” John 4:28 (ESV)
The posturing and protection were over. Now all she could think about was bringing other people to Jesus. Something happened in her heart when she encountered Jesus: you could call it an awakening. That’s exactly what every mentor hopes to see.
I am desperate to see hearts awaken, asking, “Could this be the Christ? Could Jesus really be the answer?” Hearts that yield, giving way to God’s grace and forgiveness, become lives that are radically changed. Is my life encouraging hard hearts to find Jesus?
Hearts awaken when they see things happen that could only have been God.
Elijah faced a slew of false prophets and and an idol-worshiping ruler who wanted him dead.
“Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, ‘The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.’” I Kings 18:39 (ESV)
Does my life include Elijah-like risk and moments that can only be explained by God’s power?
Many hearts awaken as they experience one heart responding to God in confession on behalf of their people.
Ezra received a report about the behavior of the exiles that appalled him. He tore his robes and fell on his knees before the Lord and prayed a desperate prayer for their forgiveness.
“While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly.” Ezra 10:1 (ESV)
Confessions of sin spread when the people witnessed Ezra’s example. Have I set the same example for my people?
Hearts respond when they’re faced with the truth of sin and God’s wrath.
John the Baptist traveled the countryside calling people to repentance, seeking the forgiveness of their sins and warning of God’s wrath.
“And the crowds asked him, ‘What then shall we do?'” Luke 3:10 (ESV)
One of our deepest goals must be hearing people ask this question. John the Baptist’s message was clear. We are enemies of God, deserving of his wrath because of our sin. True faith requires repentance, a complete turning. Am I unashamedly speaking the truth to others, forcing them to face the fact that they are deserving only of God’s wrath? Are my words making them desperate for an answer?
Hearts awaken when they hear about Jesus’ power in the lives of those around them.
“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I ever did.'” John 4:39 (ESV)
She didn’t know much about Jesus, but what she did know, she shared. Her meager testimony was enough to awaken hearts around her. Am I offering a taste of what Jesus can do? The little I have to offer is enough to be used by God to awaken hearts.
Dear Jesus, I know you are telling me the same thing. You’ve called me close and are whispering to my heart. Please open my eyes and help me see the hearts around me that you are ready to awaken. Help me to not miss it! Amen.
Scripture for Reflection
“Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.” John 4:35b (ESV)
Reach for More
Choose one of the points above to focus on in your life. Commit to deepening your offering to encourage hearts to awaken around you. God has invited us into this work; will you join him?
lives a life that is all about her people. She’s convinced that being Mrs. to one and Mommy to eight will be her most significant way to serve Jesus. She wants to use her life to cheer on and coach the women around her. She is on staff with Project Hopeful working to give a hand up to moms in poverty in Ethiopia. You can find her at loriflorida.com.
Photograph © Steve Halama, used with permission
