"But the hour cometh, and now is." John 4:23
Phase One: Anticipation. This woman had lived through 5 failed marriages, become the talk of the town, and lost her capacity to trust others or respect herself. Then Jesus showed up and said, "The hour cometh." What a message: "Your time has come. Things in your life are about to change. What you are weeping over today you will rejoice over tomorrow." God's grace turns the failures of our past into fertilizer. Like a lily springing up in a mud marsh, God offers us: "Beauty for ashes, and the garment of praise in exchange for the spirit of heaviness." [see Isaiah 61:3]. Notice, when Christ mentioned this woman's past He was not a Pharisee pointing an accusing finger. No, He was the Good Shepherd walking for miles to find one lost sheep; the great Physician pouring healing love into her deepest wounds; and "the door" that leads out of misery and into the life she always longed for.
Phase Two: Reality. "And now is." The waiting is over. Anticipation turns to reality and she seizes her moment. When Jesus said, "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give...shall never thirst" [John 4:14]; she replies: "Sir, give this water, that I thirst not" [John 4:15]. She reaches by faith and receives what He has for her. Then redeemed, recycled and redirected, this woman with a questionable past goes all over town introducing others to Christ. What a story! And what Jesus did for her He will do for you. What He said to her He says to you: "Your time has come. Your breakthrough is at hand. Believe it, receive it and walk in it."
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