by: Mae Rose Stark
October 27, 2026
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you”
I believe we are in a time of great harvest. Seeds have been planted and watered, and now the fields are ripe for harvest. In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus says to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” I believe we all have an invitation to draw near to Him for deeper consecration and communion in Him. As we move closer to Jesus, He opens our eyes to His plentiful harvest.
Lord, what are You doing? How are You inviting me to participate in Your heavenly purposes? Thank You, Lord!
As I was praying about the concept of drawing near to God, I was reminded of a well. In John 4:1-42 we meet the woman at the well. Here we see the Samaritan woman who came to draw water at Jacob’s well. Although Jesus’ route did not need to go through Samaria, He had a divine appointment with someone He loved. The woman came to draw water for her physical need and did not know, even more importantly, that she was drawing near to the Lord to meet every need she had ever or could ever have.
As a new mom of two, my heart longs for nearness to God more than ever. And if I am being honest, it takes more effort than ever for me to draw near. Worship can look different in various seasons; however, my heart longs for that still time for just the Lord and me.
Worshipping God through those midnight feedings for my newborn is glorious, and praising God as my 2-year-old meets new milestones is a priceless encounter with God. I am living my wildest dreams as I experience the answer to so many prayers. However, my spirit still longs for the face-to-face getaway time with Him who stole my heart first. It is important to reflect on when you hear God best, and then protect that time. For me, it's early in the morning before the sun rises and before those sweet mouths need to be fed. It is in those early moments that, as I open the curtains of our home, I let the light in, both literally and figuratively.
As I studied Jacob’s well, I learned that this particular well is actually shaped narrow at the top and then widens towards the bottom. This was strategically crafted to prevent dirt from getting in, and you could even put a rock on the top to protect it from debris. Just like Jesus speaks regarding entering His life in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
When using a well, a person goes to a particular source to draw water and actively participates in the process by lowering something to grab hold of what is underneath. The Samaritan woman may have come to draw water, but Jesus knew there was way more beneath the surface.
The well illustrates the secret place to me. Meeting Jesus in the place of no noise or distraction, where we can turn inward to the Holy Spirit alive within us. It is in the secret place that I can go deep and touch Life. In the secret place I ask God to “search my heart and remove anything in me that offends Him” (Psalm 139:23-24). I cry out for “more of Him and less of me” (John 3:30). It is coming to the well of Living Water where I experience Jesus as Life.
“For you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true”(John 4:18).
Jesus knew her fully, yet she was fully loved. We can imagine that with every husband she had, she was left discontent, just as we experience when we play with the amusements of the world. She longed for something more because there was a hole in her heart that only Jesus could fill. Jesus used her physical need to heal her spiritual need. When we need His help in the physical realm, God often meets us in our place of longing and fills it with more of Himself. He shows us that more of His Life in us is the end goal, not just the bucket of water.
“Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him” (John 14:6).
If we let Jesus become the reality of our lives, we have everything we need and our hearts are fully satisfied. If He is our experience then He walks with us through every encounter, speaks through us, and is the strength we need for whatever challenge we face.
“Then the woman left her waterpot and went away into the city, and said to the people, Come, see a man who told me all that I have done. Is it not the Christ? They went out of the city and came to Him” (John 4:28-30.)
His grace is sufficient. The woman drew near, encountered Jesus, drank from the Living Water, and left the waterpot to share with others. When we testify of an encounter we have had with Jesus, these experiences open the ears of the deaf and eyes of the blind. It is a real experience of meeting with the one who satisfies our thirst, and that water never runs dry for anyone. If someone wants some of that water you have tasted, Hallelujah, because there is a whole lot more of it for everybody!
My challenge for you is to draw near today. Not out of religion or duty, but out of pure delight.
“Holy Spirit, what are you speaking to me?”
“What does it look like to consecrate more of Your Life in me today?”
“What did You place within me that I can use for Your glory and participate in Your great harvest?”
"Move your heart closer and closer to God, and He will come even closer to you. But make sure you cleanse your life” (James 4:8, TPT).
Prayer
Father, draw my heart away from every distraction that competes for my affection and bring me back to the secret place. I do not want to seek You merely for what You can give me; I want You because You are my Life, my satisfaction, and my greatest treasure.
Search me, Lord. Expose anything that has taken Your rightful place in my heart. Remove every compromise, distraction, affection, and appetite that keeps me from drawing closer to You. Teach me to protect the secret place and to value Your presence above the noise of this world.
Holy Spirit, make me sensitive to Your voice. Open my eyes to the harvest around me. Let my intimacy with Jesus produce fruit that others can taste and see. May I never drink deeply from Your Living Water and then keep it to myself.
Lord, I surrender my time, my desires, my plans, and my attention to You. Draw me deeper. Consecrate me more fully. Make my life a vessel through which Your Living Water can flow to a thirsty world.
I want more of you and less of me. Let my greatest pursuit be Your presence, and let my greatest joy be knowing You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Worship: Draw Me Close to You- Michael W. Smith
Further Study
Matthew 9:37–38; John 4:1–42; Matthew 7:13–14; Psalm 139:23–24; John 3:30; John 14:6; John 4:28–30; James 4:8
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Lord, what are You doing? How are You inviting me to participate in Your heavenly purposes? Thank You, Lord!