The Unexpected Question Jesus Asked Me

Give Me a Drink

Last week I attended a silent retreat in the beautiful mountains of Sumas, Washington. The grounds were filled with gardens, trails, creeks, and ponds. I arrived with expectations based on past experiences of fasting and solitude. I anticipated a fresh encounter with God, but the Lord had something different in mind.

He seemed to whisper, "Come away with Me. This is a silent retreat. I will communicate with you differently."

Then came a question that challenged me deeply: Can you love Me when I am silent?

Like the woman at the well, the first thing I heard was Jesus' request: "Give Me a drink" (John 4:7). I realized that I often come to God wanting Him to feed me, strengthen me, answer me, or comfort me. My focus is usually on what I can receive. Yet Jesus was reminding me that love is not only about receiving, it is also about giving. At its fullest, love is mutual. Love craves reciprocation.

Bernard of Clairvaux wrote, "The measure of loving God is to love Him without measure." Do we love God for His gifts, His blessings, or the way He makes us feel? Or do we love Him simply because He is worthy of love?

Madame Guyon prayed, "Lord, everything You wish to give me in the next world, give to my friends. Everything You wish to give me in this world, give to my enemies. To me, give Yourself." That prayer captures the heart of true intimacy. The greatest gift is not what God gives; it is God Himself.

During the retreat, I discovered that even in silence He was speaking. When I asked to hear Him, birds filled the air with song. When I asked to see Him, the flowers seemed to glow with color and life. When I asked to feel Him, the warmth of the sun and the touch of the wind wrapped around me like an embrace. I sensed that God was simply enjoying being with me.

Scripture reveals that Jesus has desires as well. He said, "I am thirsty" from the cross. He told Simon the Pharisee, "You gave Me no water for My feet." He said, "The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." These words invite us to consider His heart. Can we give Him our love? Can our hearts become a resting place for Him? Our hearts are better than nothing. Apparently, He’s not choosy!

Jesus promised, "If anyone loves Me... My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him" (John 14:23). What an astonishing truth that God desires to dwell within us. He wants a place to lay His head.

I came to the retreat seeking an encounter, but I left with a different lesson. Jesus was not asking me to seek another experience. He was asking for Himself. He was saying, "Give Me a drink. I thirst."

May we learn to enter the secret place, not merely to receive from Him, but to give Him the love and devotion He deserves.