I have often wondered why, if Jesus promised He was the Living Water that always satisfied, unmet desires didn’t go away the moment I was saved. After all, didn’t Jesus tell the woman at the well that “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again” (John 4:14). Why is it that drinking of Christ, the Living Water, must be an ongoing act?

1. Drinking of something satisfying naturally leaves us wanting more, not less. If Christ is truly the all-satisfying Living Water for whom we were created and without whom we will be forever thirsty, drinking of Him will leave us satisfied, and yet longing for me. Like drinking the first sip of hot chocolate after shoveling snow on a brisk day—the first sip leaves you with a satisfied “Ahhh.” But we don’t immediately set down the mug and say, “well, wasn’t that satisfying?” That first sip is the mouthwatering introduction for what is to come.

The first sip we taste of the Living Water the moment we look to Christ by faith is made no less satisfying by the fact that we long for—and desperately need—more of it. Instead, we taste of what this world will never have, a Fountain to which to run whenever our hearts again grow thirsty. Knowing this Fountain exists does not substitute for tasting of it. Christ is that sweet, that satisfying that we have to run to Him daily, hourly, to drink more.

2. Constant need for Living Water requires us to be in a state of dependence. Imagine if God buzzed us at conversion with all the strength, energy, joy, and love we’d need for our entire Christian life. We would never need Him! Instead, we are in a position of constant, unrelenting dependence on Him. We cannot grow in faith apart from dwelling daily in the Word. We cannot meet the challenges and disappointments of life without prayer. And we cannot minister at all to others without abiding in Him. The continual need for Living Water is humbling, and yet it does exactly what it was intended to do: exalt Christ in our lives.

May you not merely taste of the Living Water, but having tasted, come back continually for more. He is our satisfaction, our strength, our joy, our All.