The Wells of His Sufficiency
Insights from Oswald Chambers – My Utmost for His Highest
📖 “From whence then hast Thou that living water?” — John 4:11
The Samaritan woman looked at the well before her and saw its depth. It was a symbol of human effort, of generations drawing from the same source, of the limits of what human hands could achieve. But Jesus pointed her beyond it—to a supply that did not come from human striving but from divine sufficiency.
How often do we, like her, fix our eyes on the limitations of the seen? We measure our needs against our own resources and conclude that they cannot be met. We see the depth of our struggles, the weight of our past, the barrenness of our circumstances, and we assume that not even Jesus can reach into them. But He does not need to. He does not draw from the wells of human effort; He brings living water from above.
Chambers reminds us that the only thing that hinders Christ’s ministry in our lives is our own unbelief. When we say, “Of course He cannot do this,” we impoverish His ministry, not because He is lacking, but because we refuse to trust His sufficiency. He is not merely a comforter in our difficulties; He is Almighty in the midst of them. His provision is not limited by our circumstances. The well of our incompleteness may be deep, but He is deeper still.
Instead of struggling to draw from our own wells, let us receive from His abundance. Instead of measuring our problems against our own strength, let us recognize that He has already given us everything we need in Himself.
Illustration: The Mountain Spring
A traveler, lost in the wilderness, comes upon a dry, cracked riverbed. He begins to dig, convinced that if he labors long enough, he might find water below. But his strength wanes, and the earth yields nothing. Then, just beyond the next ridge, he hears the sound of a rushing spring—fresh, abundant, and free. All the while, the water he sought was not beneath his own toil but flowing from a source beyond his reach.
So it is with us. We exhaust ourselves trying to summon peace, joy, or strength from within, forgetting that the source is not found in us—it is Christ Himself, freely given.
Reflection Questions:
Are you limiting Jesus’ ministry in your life by assuming that some situations are beyond His power?
Do you find yourself drawing from your own efforts rather than receiving from Christ’s sufficiency?
What would change if you fully trusted that He has already provided everything you need?
Prayer of Confidence:
Father, I rest in the fullness of Your provision. I refuse to labor in the dry wells of my own understanding, knowing that You have already given me everything in Christ. I acknowledge You as my source—my peace, my wisdom, my sufficiency. You are not limited by my weakness, nor hindered by my past. Thank You for the endless supply of Your life within me. I trust You, not only as my comfort, but as my Almighty. Amen.
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