The Well

The Well

   He sat by the well, deep in thought,

When he looked up he asked for water.

  He was a Jew and my heart was fraught,

Talk to someone else, but not to her.

  Living water? That seemed rather mad,

And how could I possibly never thirst again?

  He knew things of me and I felt unclad.

Yet his words and manner seemed to heal my pain.

 

   Come and see, he is a prophet,

Even more, he surely may be the Christ.

  Come and see, he seeks no profit,

Being near Him is worth the sacrifice.

It seems to me in these one on one interchanges with Jesus there are four steps to the conversation. First there is a warning, an expectation, an invitation, and a promise. Sometimes they are out of this order. With the woman at the well he starts with the expectation. "I can give you something that will quench your thirst indefinitely. I can raise you up spiritually." Then he offers her the invitation to drink.

After that comes the warning. "You have many non covenantal relationships. Breaking the law is not filling your spiritual well." Now comes the promise, "You have received from Jehovah himself. If you hear my voice you will always have a well of living water."

President Nelson, our prophet, often goes through these four steps when he talks to us. In the video at conference last year, when he walked through the Salt Lake Temple construction, he was warning us about faulty structures, showing us higher expectations, inviting us to reassess our spiritual foundation, and promising us ever fuller blessings. How fortunate it is to have a living prophet who knows Jesus.

I always feel calmer studying the words of the prophets.

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