Rivers of living water

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.

John 7:37

We can see that Jesus here makes a call to all the people who followed Him, it was the last and great day of that party. The Bible says that Jesus stood on His feet and raised His voice.

When Jesus raised His voice, it was because He had something very important to say to all the people around Him. He said to them: If anyone is thirsty, come to me and drink.

But Jesus urged them to go to Him to drink from that water, and what did Jesus mean when He said this? It was because, the one who drank of that water would be clean of all impurity and would know the giver of life.

It must be said that Jesus took advantage of that moment of the party to do this, He was offering His word so that all those people would find the Word of Life.

This scene takes place during the Feast of Tabernacles, a moment in which the Jewish people celebrated God’s provision in the desert. One of the symbols of that feast was water, representing both physical sustenance and spiritual refreshing. Jesus used that moment intentionally, because the people were already thinking about God’s provision, the thirst of the desert, and the way the Lord supplied everything for His people. By standing up and raising His voice, He was making a public declaration that the true and eternal provision was standing right before them. His message was not merely about physical thirst, but about the inner emptiness that no earthly thing can satisfy.

Many people today experience that same spiritual thirst. They try to quench it with achievements, relationships, money, success, pleasures, addictions, or philosophies, but deep inside the soul remains dry and empty. Jesus’ words pierce through time and speak directly to us today: “If anyone is thirsty…” This includes every person who recognizes the void in their heart. Jesus does not force anyone; rather, He invites. He opens the door and calls us to come to Him, because He alone can satisfy the thirst that nothing else can calm. His invitation is universal, yet personal. He does not exclude anyone, and He does not require qualifications—only that we come.

Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.

John 7:38

The Lord, preaching the Holy Word, told them that everyone who believes in Him, will flow rivers of living water, so that Jesus was that river that could be day after day within our being.

It is good that we think that there is only one water that can run through our whole being, and that is the water that Jesus was giving to the people that surrounded Him. That water that when it comes in quenches our thirst, that cleanses us of all impurities and leaves us clean and pure forever. And we are totally changed from inside to outside.

When Jesus speaks of “rivers of living water,” He is referring to the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life. This river is not stagnant, not temporary, and not dependent on external circumstances. It flows continually, bringing life, direction, conviction, renewal, and strength. A river transforms everything it touches, and the same is true of the life of the Spirit in us. He changes our thoughts, our desires, and even our reactions to the difficulties of life. Where there was dryness, He brings freshness. Where there was confusion, He brings clarity. Where there was sin, He brings cleansing.

This passage also reminds us that believing in Jesus is not only about receiving something from Him, but about becoming a channel through which His life flows to others. When the living water fills us, it naturally overflows into our relationships, our actions, and our words. People begin to notice a different attitude, a new peace, a renewed joy. The living water transforms not just our inner world but also the environment around us. This is why walking with Christ is not a one-time event—it is a continual experience of renewal. Every day we can drink from Him, and every day He continues to refresh our souls.