阅读经文 

一个住在俄罗斯的听众告诉我们，他的妻子离开他后，他感觉自己陷在一个灵性的沙漠中，他开始变得沮丧和酗酒，然而醉酒并不能解除他内心的干渴。幸好他在电台广播节目中听到福音的信息，这是他得医治并与神和好的第一步。

在今天的经文中，耶稣在撒玛利亚与一个妇人谈论水的话题，祂论到可饮用的水和活水。饮用水是宝贵的资源，人人都需要它并赖以生存。然而，耶稣说祂所赐的水乃是活水，祂赐的活水在我们里头，直涌到永生。

旧约圣经有很多经文都谈到人对神的渴慕，他们就像在炎热天气中口渴至极、渴望获得一些凉水润喉解渴那样。神被称为生命的源头和活水的泉源，在今天的经文中，活水指永远的生命。活水一旦满足了我们的渴求，我们就永远不会再感到干渴了。主把这活水放在我们的心里，好让我们可以不断饮用，不至枯竭。

我们若感到自己在灵性的沙漠中迷失，惟有耶稣才能帮助我们找到出路，惟有祂才是我们对神渴慕的答案、赐予我们心灵最深切渴慕的满足。

A media listener from Russia shared with us how he found himself in a spiritual desert after his wife left him. He became depressed and started drinking heavily. But getting drunk didn’t quench his inner thirst at all. Fortunately, he heard the gospel message on the radio. That was his first step toward finding healing and peace with God.

In our passage for today Jesus talks with a woman in Samaria about water. He discusses drinkable and living water. Fresh drinking water is a precious resource. Everyone needs it to survive. But Jesus says that the water he gives brings life. He provides living water that wells up within us to eternal life!

Many Old Testament passages speak of thirsting after God as being famished on a hot day and needing a cool drink. God is called the fountain of life and the spring of living water. In our reading today, living water refers to eternal life. Once we satisfy our spiritual thirst with living water, we will never thirst that way again. The Lord provides this living water in our souls so that we can draw upon it continuously.

If we feel lost in a spiritual desert, only Jesus can show us the way out. Only he can quench our thirst for God and give us the gift that satisfies the deepest desire of our souls.