"I heard the voice of Jesus say, 'Come unto Me and rest; Lay down, thou weary one, lay down thy head upon My breast. I came to Jesus as I was, so weary, worn, and sad; I found in Him a resting place, and He has made me glad.

"I heard the voice of Jesus say, 'Behold, I freely give the living water; thirsty one, stoop down and drink and live.' I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life-giving stream; My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in Him."

Jesus invites us, "Come unto Me and rest," but the Lord Himself needed to rest when He sat down beside a well in the Samaritan town of Sychar. When a local woman arrived to draw water, Jesus' simple request for a drink turned into a serious conversation about water and salvation. Jesus offered living water that became in those who drank of it "a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14b). The woman told the townspeople about the visitor at the well, and they invited Jesus to stay and speak to them. Many of them believed and drank of the living water offered by the Lord they confessed as the Messiah and Savior of the world.

During His earthly ministry Jesus needed rest, as we do, but when it came to His saving purpose, He knew no rest. His path led to the cross, and there would be no turning from it. For the sake of our salvation, Jesus knew what it was to be "weary, worn, and sad." He was, as the prophet Isaiah said, "a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as One from whom men hide their faces He was despised" (Isaiah 53:3a). Jesus suffered and died for the sins of the Samaritan woman and the sins of the townspeople of Sychar, for our sins—for the sins of the entire world. At the cross, a soldier pierced the Lord with a spear to confirm His death. Blood and water poured from the side of the Savior who paid for the precious, eternally thirst-quenching water of life with His innocent blood (see John 19:34).

Jesus said, "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" (John 7:38-39a). The crucified and risen Lord still calls out to the world, "Behold, I freely give the living water." We drink of the living water as the Spirit of God creates faith in our hearts. By faith, when earthly troubles make us "weary, worn, and sad," we find rest in Jesus' love and care. By faith, we have the hope and promise of eternal rest in Jesus' presence, where we will be invited to drink of "the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb (see Revelation 22:1).

THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, when I am weary and sad, grant me rest and satisfy my thirst. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say," which is number 699 in the Lutheran Service Book.

Reflection Questions:

1. Are you looking for some rest, some peace, in your life? Do you go to Jesus in such times?

2. How does Jesus give us "living water"?

3. Are we able to share God's living water with others? How can we do that?

Today's Bible Readings: Hosea 12-14    Romans 16

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