No Secrets

No Secrets

The Woman At The Well

Read: John 4:16-18

“I’m glad the guy at table 13 is ready for his check,” Louanne told her coworker. He was beginning to creep her out. At first, she thought he was asking questions just to be friendly, and this was a small town, after all. But soon, she realized that he knew details of her life that a stranger shouldn’t know, and she certainly didn’t recognize him. Louanne headed for the table, and a few minutes later, she had a good laugh with her cousin, who had grown up on an air force base in Germany.

The woman at the well also found herself talking with a stranger who knew a lot about her. With her curiosity aroused, she asked the man to give her the water that keeps people from being thirsty. Surprisingly, he responded by telling her to go and get her husband. The woman probably stiffened. She didn’t want this Jewish teacher to know the truth about her. “I don’t have a husband,” she answered. To her amazement, Jesus’ response showed that he already knew the sordid details of her life—that she had had five husbands and currently lived with a man to whom she wasn’t married.

We may be able to hide details about our lives from other people, but not from God. He knows each of us so intimately that he can tell the number of hairs on our heads. God can see our thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. It may seem frightening to be so exposed, until we understand that the One who knows us best loves us despite the sordid details of our lives. Once we accept his forgiveness, we find the freedom to be open and honest with him. We can come into his presence with no secrets and no fear.

[Jesus said,] “The very hairs on your head are all numbered.”

Matthew 10:30