Rivers of Living Water

Jesus spoke on two occasions about the living water that flows through believers. Living water is water that is moving, flowing. The first time was at the well in Samaria.

John 4:13-14 (WEBBE): ¹³Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Here Jesus describes where the water comes from – God is the source. And it is not just a little trickle of water, it springs up. The Greek word for springing up here is ἅλλομαι (hallomai), which can also be translated as “to gush up”. Google provides this useful definition of gush, in case there is still any doubt: “flow out of something in a rapid and plentiful stream”.

The second time Jesus added something about the direction of flow of this water.

John 7:37-39 (WEBBE): ³⁷Now on the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! ³⁸He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water.” ³⁹But he said this about the Spirit, which those believing in him were to receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus wasn’t yet glorified.

Think for a moment about a physical river, with a dam built in its path. The water flows from the source and first fills the dam. But the dam cannot contain all the water that the river will ever bring, and soon the water will start to overflow. The stronger the river, the sooner the overflow.

The same is true about the Holy Spirit, which we have now seen is the living water. We should not try to keep all the water to ourselves, but instead we should let Him flow through us. On the day of Pentecost we see an example of this filling to overflowing.

Acts 2:4 (WEBBE): ⁴They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.

The living water springs up in our inner being, fills us, and flows out from us into the world. That is the way it is meant to be. And unlike physical rivers, God’s river can never run dry. So there is no reason to be hoarding this water for ourselves.

The only thing that can stop the flow of life is if we decide to close the tap. So choose today to let the rivers of living water flow through your life!