Rivers of Living Water (John 7:37–39)
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
– John 7:37–39
Oh, there is so much here. First and foremost, be encouraged today. Jesus is the source of satisfaction your soul needs. “Whoever is thirsty, let him come to me and drink”. This is the picture we see all throughout Scripture. God alone is the source of everything good we need. In his presence there is fullness of joy, at his right hand are pleasures forevermore.
He’s the Author of every good thing. Your life is designed to find deep satisfaction, true satisfaction in God. So seek him today. Turn aside from empty idols this world offers you that do not ultimately satisfy.
John 7:37–39 teaches that true satisfaction comes from God.
Your satisfaction will only be found in seeking, knowing, understanding, walking with, worshiping, enjoying exalting God. Make this the goal of your life today to seek him. And then not just for your own satisfaction. “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”, and he’s talking to you about the Spirit of God.
So God will fill you with his Spirit, his satisfaction, his goodness, his power, his love, and his Spirit will then flow through you. What a picture of your life today! May your heart be a source of living water for people around you today. This is the Christian life, that the fruit of the Holy Spirit would flow from you and me today to people around us.
So yes, we pray, oh God, for all of this! God, we seek you as the Source of everything that is good, as the Author of everything that is good. And we praise you for making satisfaction possible in you, in relationship with you. Jesus, we praise you. We deserve to be separated from God forever. And here we are enjoying the pleasures of God forever because you died on the cross for our sins, because you rose from the dead, because you ascended to Heaven and you sent your Spirit.
John 7:37–39 reminds us of God’s overflowing grace.
So we say yes, we seek you today. Help us to not turn to empty vessels today, empty idols, to seek satisfaction. God help us to seek you alone, above and over everything this world offers us as the One who satisfies us. And God, we pray that as we do, your Spirit in us would cause living water to flow from our lives.
We just pray over each other’s lives that the fruit of your Spirit would flow today through us. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Oh, may all this fruit just flow from us today. We pray the gospel would flow from us today. The good news about who you are and how much you love people. Help us to encourage people with your Word, with your love, with your grace, with the gospel. Help us to lead people to you.
God, we pray the fruit of our lives would be more people coming to know you. God, we pray John 7:37–39 over our lives, and over our brothers and sisters around the world.
Prayer for the Yerwa Kanuri People
God, we pray specifically for brothers and sisters who are working in places where there’s little to no access to the gospel. Places like Niger and the Yerwa Kanuri people there. God, we pray that rivers of living water would flow from them.
That you would raise up more laborers to go to the Yerwa Kanuri of Niger and other people groups like them. God, so that rivers of living water would flow to the nations through us as your Church, that the nations, that the Yerwa Kanuri people of Niger would drink from the fountain of delights that is found in Jesus alone. Oh God, we pray all this according to your Word, which we love in John 7:37–39, in Jesus name, who makes rivers of living water in us and flowing from us possible today. Amen.
