Broken Cisterns and Living Water
By Autumn Nims
I recently had a vivid dream of someone I know drinking dirty water. When I woke, the Lord spoke clearly to my heart and instructed me to invite this person to my home and share the dream with them. Obediently, I did.
I explained that the dream was not shared to shame or condemn, but as an assignment from the Lord meant to restore. I told them that Jesus loves them deeply, and that He would not have entrusted me with such a difficult message if they were not on His heart.
The Lord directed me to share this Scripture:
“For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn out cisterns for themselves—broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
Jeremiah 2:13
The person received the message humbly and took it to heart. My prayer is that they will continue to respond to the One who alone gives fresh, living water—Jesus Christ.
The Fountain of Living Water
In Jeremiah 2, God reveals His deep heartache over His people turning away from Him. He names their choice plainly. They have abandoned the fountain of living water and replaced Him with broken cisterns.
A cistern was meant to collect water for survival, but a broken cistern could not hold what it promised. It offered no refreshment, no life. Often, its water became stagnant and muddy. God uses this image to expose the futility of replacing Him with substitutes that promise satisfaction but never deliver.
To leave God is to walk away from a fresh, flowing well and settle for something that cannot sustain the soul.
Jesus later echoes this truth when He meets the woman at the well. Speaking to one who had been wounded, overlooked, and disappointed, He offers her something entirely different:
“Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.”
John 4:14
Jesus reveals Himself as the living water—the true source her soul had been searching for. Where others had failed her, He did not. Where life had left her thirsty, He offered lasting renewal.
A Call to Return
As we fast and pray, we are reminded of this holy invitation. Fasting exposes what we reach for when we feel empty. Prayer realigns our hearts toward the only source that truly satisfies.
Reflection
- What broken cisterns have I been tempted to draw from instead of the Lord?
- Where am I thirsty for God to refill me with His living water?
Prayer
Lord, forgive us for turning to things that cannot sustain us. Restore our hearts to You, the fountain of living water. As we fast and pray, may our thirst grow for You alone. Let us drink deeply from the life-giving spring of hope found in Jesus. Amen.
