If We Only Knew

The woman’s life turned on four words, spoken by a stranger. “If you only knew.” She was a mess by anyone’s standards—married five times and now living with another man—but in one respect she was like anyone else. Maybe that’s what had driven her to go from man to man like some people change jobs or locations or cars. She wanted more. Love, security, acceptance, fulfillment, peace of mind. She wanted to be happy. She wanted to be whole.
If she only knew what?

If you recognize that as a rough retelling of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well, (John, chapter 4) you already know what the woman was about to find out. She was talking to the Son of God, and He was about to put her in direct contact with the source of everything she longed for, God Himself. The woman liked what she heard, and it changed her. Others noticed. Once again she was the talk of the town, but this time it wasn’t because of what she had done; it was because of what Jesus had done for her.

Don’t we all want the same things that woman wanted? If we only knew.

If we knew—really knew—how much God loves us, we would never feel unloved. If we knew how unconditional His love is, we would never feel insecure. If we knew how accepting He is of us—blemishes, blow-its, and all—we wouldn’t worry so much about what anyone else might think. If we knew how much He appreciates our love for Him and others, we would find fulfillment in that, first and foremost. If we knew what He has planned for us, we wouldn’t fear the future. If we only knew how much He loves us for who we are, we wouldn’t want to be anyone else.

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Zephaniah 3:17 KJV – The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

1 Peter 5:6-7 KJV – Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

KJV – Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.