“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."” (Jhn 7:37-40, NKJV)

Let’s lay a little background for this interaction of Yeshua and the declaration He made. The last day of the Feast of Succoth is called Hoshannah Rabah. Hoshannah means salvation and rabah means great. On this day prayers and ceremonies were traditionally made for the latter rains to fall on the ground.

Israel is located in such a way that it depends on the rains for water. Unlike Egypt to the west and Babylon to the east which have the Nile and The Euphrates rivers Israel depends on water from snow and rain. This situation made Israel very connected to the Lord who gives the early and latter rains.

“'And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.” (Deu 11:13-14, NKJV) 

When Yeshua stood up in the Temple, it was at the prayer time for the Lord to give the latter rains. His proclamation was a connection for living water, the latter day out pouring of the Holy Spirit for the sake of the harvest of souls.

The living water that flows out of heart is the voice of the Lord to guide His children. Yeshua made this clear in the wilderness which was the place where God supernaturally provided for Israel.

“But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD.' "” (Mat 4:4, NKJV)

Bread was what the devil suggested Yeshua could command from the stones. This was a parallel to Moses commanding water from the rock. Both represent the provision of the Lord by His Spirit, which is by His voice. 

This connects the flow of living water to the prophetic. Another good example of this was the incident of Yeshua with the Samaritan woman at the well.

Let’s read the account: John chapter 4 beginning at verse 5: 

“So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."” (Jhn 4:5-10, NKJV)

Yeshua again draws out the connection between asking and receiving living water. The phrase is used in the natural for flowing water that is “alive”. But as we already know, He is speaking of the Holy Spirit and the voice of God.

“The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."” (Jhn 4:11-14, NKJV)

The “living water” that Yeshua is offering is described as a fountain of “water” that springs up into eternal life. Here He is using imagery of the bubbling of the Holy Spirit in the heart or belly of a Believer. This reality is the voice of God.

Yeshua demonstrates this truth:

“The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly." The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.” (Jhn 4:15-19, NKJV)

She recognizes that the living water, the voice of God has revealed to Yeshua her situation. This builds her faith, because faith comes from the prophetic word being received as truth:

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom 10:17, NKJV)

Having heard the prophetic word, her faith is now increased> She responds by asking what is on her heart:

“Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."” (Jhn 4:20-24, NKJV)

This now comes full circle. He is telling her that a change is coming where true worshippers will no longer by just the Jewish people but anyone who worships in spirit and in truth. Worship is an activation of the Spirit and it release the living water, the voice of God. She returns to her people and shares what she now knows to be true.

Interestingly, the disciples return and try to get Yeshua to eat, and He responds that His food is to do the will of the Father, which is revealed in His voice.

You see it has always been the desire of the Father to activate His voice in relationship with His children. At Sinai when He brought Israel out Egypt, this was His heart’s cry: 

“And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel."” (Exo 19:3-6, NKJV)

A kingdom of priests is a kingdom that worships in Spirit and In Truth. The truth is obeying the voice of the Lord and keeping the covenant, which is being faithful to love only God as the bride. The Spirit is entering into the most holy place and becoming one with Him. This was and is God’s eternal desire. But Israel had too much fear to honor this desire and so in Exodus 20 they responded with:

“Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die."” (Exo 20:18-19, NKJV)

There is a cost to hearing His voice, the willingness to die to our separate self. Yeshua described this as being willing to lose our life.

“He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” (Jhn 12:25-26, NKJV)

This is the heart of the new covenant to have intimacy with the voice of God.

“"Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."” (Jer 31:31-34, NKJV)

Intimacy is the purpose of the New Covenant. This is all about hearing His voice, the flow of living water.

Activation: Intimacy takes time to develop. God desires all of us to be prophets, carriers of His voice. Take time each day to dialogue with Him. Transform your prayers from speaking to listening.