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Drawing From the Right Well

“You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep.” John 4:11

How many times do I say this to God? And I know who He is. The Samaritan woman didn’t know, and as he offered her living water, she wanted to know just how He thought He’d give her that water when His hands were empty. Me too.

“You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep.” John 4:11

How many times do I say this to God? And I know who He is. The Samaritan woman didn’t know, and as he offered her living water, she wanted to know just how He thought He’d give her that water when His hands were empty. Me too.

My job will end in June; my husband and I hope to move to Taiwan in September; I need a job for the interim months. So, I wonder what I’ll end up doing. I keep cool façade but as the time comes closer, I want to know exactly how God thinks He’ll pull this off. “You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep.”

I’m living with my in-laws so we can save money and get to Taiwan, but we’re also paying off debt (and I may not have a job in a few weeks, as mentioned above). On top of that, living with my in-laws is a wee bit harder than I anticipated (not bad, just different than the dream in my head). “You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep.”

Then there’s the move to Taiwan. A new country (that my husband doesn’t have a passport to get into yet), a new job (that I don’t have a contract for yet), a new living arrangement (but I don’t know where yet), and a new language (that I only know how to say “hello,” “thank you,” and “you’re stupid” in). We’ll be under contract to stay for a year, but what if it turns out to have been a mistake? What then? “You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep.”

I have to say that I am tired of finding God show up unprepared as I look into those empty hands. I mean seriously, how does Jesus plan to draw water out of that well I’m standing next to without something to do it with?

Ah, then I look from His hands to His face and see. He’s not planning on pulling water out of that well. He’s got another well to draw from, and really so do I.

Lord, forgive my doubts and whinings. My need to be self-sufficient, yet rely on you, and all the while complaining. I take. I drink. I rest in you.


"Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14

Jamie Lath is a middle child that has no baby picture without her older sister in it. Even with only two siblings, she grew up with family everywhere because all her aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, and even second-cousins lived in her hometown. With forty people at her birthday parties (all relatives) and her sister in every picture, she knows a little about community, and it's everlastingness. This has brought most of her ministry focus into meeting people where they're at, listening closely (especially to those who feel voiceless and like no one is listening), and helping them find God's voice in the mix. Jamie graduated with a BA in Communication Studies from the University of North Texas. Following a year of teaching English in China, she returned to the states to attend Dallas Theological Seminary. She received a Th.M. with a focus on Media Arts. Her background in the arts (ballet, writing, and acting) has given her an understanding of how creative expressions can give people a safe place to begin exploring how to use their voice and how it can touch hearts to hear God’s voice. She also blogs at I just called to say "Olive Juice."

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