If You Knew the Gift of God: How I Almost Missed What Jesus Was Showing Me
Bible Study
If You Knew the Gift of God: How I Almost Missed What Jesus Was Showing Me
There was a time when I didn’t recognize what Jesus was showing me. I had no idea what was happening spiritually around me, even when He took me to New Jerusalem. I saw the glory of God—but I didn’t even know what I was looking at. I didn’t recognize it because I didn’t know Him. I didn’t know His Word. And without knowing Him, how could I possibly understand what He was revealing to me?
The Woman at the Well:
Jesus’ words to the woman at the well hit me in a way they never did before:
“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10)
That was me. I stood before Him, blind to the gift that was right in front of me. And as I look back, I can’t help but wonder—how many times had Jesus been speaking to me, standing right in front of me, calling me, showing me His presence, and I didn’t see it? How many times had I entertained angels and was left unaware, because I didn’t know Him? How many times did I not see, because I was too busy worshipping things, false things, I had created in my own mind?
I didn’t know what to look for, because I was too busy occupying myself with my own mind.
JOHN 4:24
"God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
Paolo Veronese, Christ and the Woman of Samaria, circa 1585
The Danger of Not Knowing Him
Looking back, I realize that if we don’t know the Word of God, we won’t recognize Him when He’s right in front of us, because after all, even when right before us, He is still using His Word... We can see miracles and miss them. We can hear truth and not understand it. We can be in the very presence of God and not even know.
That’s exactly what happened to the Samaritan woman. She stood in front of Jesus and didn’t recognize Him. She even argued with Him, and I have to tell you this is what God loves—when we wrestle with Him:
“Are you greater than our father Jacob?” (John 4:12)
She was still focused on earthly things—on wells and water and the traditions she had been taught. But Jesus was offering her something greater—something eternal.
And that’s where I was, too. I had been searching, longing for something real, but I didn’t even know what I was looking for. I was clinging to things that could never satisfy, just like the woman at the well. But Jesus didn’t leave her in that place, and He didn’t leave me there either.
But unlike the woman at the well who knew her Torah, and began to witness the same day—I have had to spend the last year and a half, with my Rabbi, eating the manna that falls from Heaven, so I can learn and be taught to see the truth of Him—and it is only through the work of the Sovereign God does this happen.
Worshiping in Spirit and Truth
As Jesus stood before her, He didn’t tell her all the ways she failed, instead He showed her all the ways the world would never measure up, how the world failed, how the people failed her, and He invited her in.
Jesus told her:
“You worship what you do not know.” (John 4:22)
Those words feel so deeply profound and personal to me now. I had read them before, and knew they were fact, but I had not felt them in my heart—they had not changed me—and that’s the difference between knowing the Good News of the Gospel, and receiving the Good News of the Gospel. Many can know the direction they should go—but do they? Did I? Did I let my pride go there? I didn’t, and I almost missed Him…
I had a desire for God, but I didn’t truly know Him. I didn’t understand what it meant to worship Him in spirit and truth. I was still caught up in my own understanding, my own ways of thinking, and I was missing the One who had been pursuing me all along.
“The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” (John 4:23)
The Father was seeking her. And He was seeking me. And I was seeking Him—and she was too. We all are.
If we find ourselves spiritually dry, perhaps it’s because we haven’t been drinking from the well of Living Water.
Guercino, Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well
Recognizing the Glory of God
I can only imagine how that woman felt when she finally understood who she was speaking to. When Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you Am He” (John 4:26), everything changed. She left her water jar behind and ran to tell others, because once you see Jesus for who He truly is, nothing else matters.
I think about the times Jesus was showing me His glory, and I didn’t recognize it. I think about the moments He was speaking, and I didn’t hear Him. And I realize now that He wasn’t waiting for me to figure it out—He was drawing me in, just like He did with her.
I see it now. I see Him now. And if there’s two things I’ve learned, it’s this—when you truly have eyes to see its because God gave you eyes to see; and second, when know the gift of God, when you truly know Him, you will never be the same.
And Here We Find Grace…
GRACE perfectly encapsulates the transition from striving, to resting, in God's presence—which is at the heart of the message. Grace is the unmerited favor of God, and it's through His grace that we are able to move from struggle to peace. I invite you to pause and reflect on God's presence, how you can connect to God’s grace in a meaningful way.
Our GRACE Method™ is meant to encourage you so you can experience YHWH, Immanuel, and the Holy Spirit, in a deeper way, on a regular basis, through thought provoking Bible Study, Prayer, education, and Worship.
Grounding in Scripture:
John 4:10 – "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."
This passage reveals the heart of Jesus’ invitation: to know Him is to receive the gift of eternal life. Without knowing Him, we can stand right before The Living Water, The Gift of Life and remain thirsty, unaware of what is being offered.
Question: What does Jesus mean when He offers “living water” to the Samaritan woman?
Question: Can you reflect back on times in your life and see when Jesus has offered you Living Water?
Question: Have you accepted Jesus‘s offer?
If so, how has your life changed?
If not, why not?
Bible Verse: “Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink,” you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’” (John 4:10)
Reflecting on Context:
The Samaritan woman, like many of us, was searching for fulfillment but didn’t recognize The One who could truly satisfy her soul. She was caught up in earthly concerns—tradition, history, trauma, and tangible needs—while Jesus was offering her something eternal.
Similarly, there was a time I couldn’t recognize what Jesus was showing me. I was blind to the spiritual reality around me, missing the moments where He was revealing Himself. Like the woman at the well, I stood before Him unaware, not because He wasn’t present, but because I didn’t have eyes to see.
Question: Why did the Samaritan woman struggle to recognize Jesus, and how does this relate to people today?
Question: How have you struggled? Why do you think you have struggled?
Question: Do you see in your own life how Jesus is going to use your moments of struggle for a greater good?
If so, how so?
If not, why not?
Bible Verse: “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.” (John 4:22)
Applying to Your Life:
How often do we miss Jesus in our daily lives? How many times do we miss Jesus at work because we’re caught up in our own expectations of how Jesus should move, talk, and communicate?
Knowing the gift of God means not only hearing His Word but truly receiving it. It means shifting our focus from what is temporary to what is eternal.
Question: How can I become more aware of Jesus’ presence and work in my life?
Question: How does studying the Gospels, as well as the Scriptures, help us recognize Jesus’ presence and work in our daily lives?
Question: Aside from the Woman at the Well,, what other Biblical examples can you relate to, of people missing the importance of God’s Word? How do these examples inspire you to study the word more thoughtfully?
Bible Verse: “Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.” (Luke 24:31)
Communing with God:
Lord, open my eyes to see You. Help me to recognize Your presence in my life, to hear Your voice, and to know You more deeply. Let me not be like the woman at the well, before she understood—standing before You, but missing what You are offering. Draw me near to worship You in spirit and truth. Amen.
Question: How can you deepen your relationship with God so that you don’t miss His call?
Please do not feel pressured by this question. We are right where we are meant to be— YHWH IS THE ONE TRUE LIVING GOD, and He is sovereign. He does ALL things He moves all people, places, and things! So take comfort in the fact that God‘s ways are higher than our ways and we do not always have clarity in these moments. The important part is that we always understand that God is calling to us, His children, and He wants to commune with us. He’s chasing you down and he just wants you to stop and turn around and throw your arms around his neck and say I love you, too, ABBA! So, don’t feel pressured. You’re not going to miss out on God! And He’s not going to replace YOUR purpose in the world with someone else. He’s cultivating you, because he created you for a very specific purpose! You are the very tool He had in mind when He crafted you in the fire and you cannot miss the purpose for which you were created—end of story.
Question: Understanding God does it All, but He also reciprocates our steps, so, with next steps in mind, are there “next steps,” you can take that you’ve been putting off? Something you feel God is pulling you to? Listen for the small voice. Journal, and remember He always pulls us to Jesus, the Word, and the Good News of the Gospel. So if you think he’s calling you to anything that distracts from that—it isn’t God.
Bible Verse: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)
Exalting God:
God’s love is relentless. He pursues us even when we do not see Him. He calls us to worship in spirit and truth, revealing His glory to those who seek Him. Once we truly know the gift of God, once we recognize Jesus for who He is, everything changes—and we will never be the same.
Question: How can I worship God in spirit and truth today?
Bible Verse: “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” (John 4:23)
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