A Divine Encounter

I want to tell you about an encounter which changed my life forever. It is the most wonderful and exciting thing that ever happened to me. You could call it a divine appointment.

I had been married five times and I was living with a man who wasn’t my husband. Nobody wanted to know me, let alone spend time having a conversation with me. It was a lonely existence; people looking down at me because of my lifestyle and my life choices. Back then, I did what I had to do to survive.
 

I’d gone to the well on my own – well, no-one else would be seen with me – and there was a man sitting there. I could tell he was a Jew. He spoke to me! To me a woman and a Samaritan! He knew everything there was to know about me and yet, he asked ME for a drink of water. Little did I realise that he wanted to give me a drink! He said “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” I wondered how he was going to do that he didn’t bring anything with him to draw water from the well. He went on to say “Everyone who drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal lift.” Now that caught my attention! I definitely wanted this “living water” he was talking about. I wouldn’t have to make the daily arduous journey to and from the well and I would never be thirsty again. Imagine that! So, I asked him for this water. This is when he asked me to call my husband. I told him I didn’t have a husband. He then told me my inmost secrets. I thought only a prophet would know this. I was quite embarrassed so I quickly changed the subject and asked him a question which was a point of dispute between us Samaritans and the Jews. I asked him where was the right place to worship God – in Jerusalem or in my home province of Samaria. He explained by saying God the Father is Spirit and is not limited to any place of worship. We must worship him in spirit and in truth.
 

I was quite amazed at his teaching. No man had ever spent any time talking to me like that before. I could feel the love and warmth radiating from him as he spoke to me. I could have happily sat there all day listening to him. I wondered who this man was who was so good at explaining everything to me. He then revealed to me that he is the MESSIAH, the one who we had been waiting for to come to us. As you can imagine, I sat there in awe and I just wanted to hug him and never let go of him. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to do this as his disciples turned up and I could tell that they didn’t approve of me talking to him. So, left my jar and ran excitedly to the people of my town to tell them the good news. Come and meet the man who told me everything I ever did! He stayed in our town for a few days teaching us and many people became believers.
 

Sometimes, I wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn’t have met him. I would have missed the opportunity of a lifetime to meet the Messiah, the Anointed one – the Saviour of the world – Jesus Christ. I now understand what he meant by living water. I have the gift of the Holy Spirit of God living inside of me transforming my life. I tell everyone I meet about the time I met the Messiah and how he changed my life forever.

 

Manjula