The city of Jerusalem was awash with the sounds of men, women, and children. Thousands had come from all over Israel to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, the last and greatest feast of the year. All brought the finest of their bountiful harvest to savor with others in an extravagant feast that lasted seven days. Produce and meat prepared in myriad ways overflowed from the tables. The jovial banter of people meeting and greeting one another floated through the air. As the greatest and final feast of the year, this was the occasion where everyone could rest and enjoy the success of the passing year. The Feast of Tabernacles was the culmination of the labor of each household in Israel. It ended in a magnificent and splendid way on the seventh day, when the enjoyment and satisfaction of the people in Jerusalem reached its height.

After the feast, the people who had traveled to Jerusalem bundled up their possessions and began the long journey home. In Jerusalem, an empty feeling pervaded the air. The only occupants of once-filled meeting places were birds devouring the crumbs left from the feast. Roads which earlier had been filled with thousands now only contained a few people. The debris littering the ground—food, tattered pieces of cloth, scraps of wood—was the only indication that there had been a feast.

The end of the feast also brought the enjoyment and satisfaction of the people to a close. No matter how opulent and bountiful the feast was, its satisfaction was only momentary. Even the greatest of feasts must come to an end, and with the end would inevitably come the thirst for something more. At this feast, a certain man seemed to be aware of this reality when He cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes into Me...out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water."¹ This man, Jesus Christ, realized that, even after seven days of sumptuous eating and drinking, the people were not satisfied. They were still thirsty.

The thirst that parched those feasting long ago is still with us today. For some, it is a thirst for success that drives us to achieve. Yet we find that once we have achieved we are still thirsty. A desire for acceptance into an acclaimed university leads to a desire for high grades, which leads to the goal of acceptance into a top graduate school, which fires our ambition for a well-paying job, which...—the cycle never ends. Others have an equally pressing thirst for entertainment, which usually centers around the lastest music or movie. We may have a favorite song or movie, but it inevitably becomes old, and our search for fresh entertainment begins anew. Our success and enjoyment, while temporarily satisfying, can never fully quench our thirst. This seemingly unquenchable thirst was the reason that Jesus Christ presented Himself as the fountain at the end of the feast.

A Fountain
As the living water, Jesus Christ is the true satisfaction and eternal enjoyment. In order for Him to become our satisfaction and enjoyment, we must first receive Him into the deepest part of our being, which is our spirit. Once we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior, He is installed in us as the fountain. To receive Him, we must call on Him by name, believing in our heart that He truly can be the fountain in our spirit.² To call is to speak the Lord's name audibly and genuinely, just as if He were a close friend. When we call, "O Lord Jesus," He comes to us, just like any person would come when we call his name.

Drinking
To receive Christ by calling on Him is merely the first drink of many from the "rivers of living water." By calling on His name, we can drink from the fountain in our spirit at any time. This fountain never runs dry.³ When we call, we "draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation."⁴ When we call, He is always available to supply us richly. Calling on the name of the Lord is an extremely simple way to initiate and enjoy the living flow from our spirit.

Every situation—encouraging or discouraging—merits our calling. For example, when we fail a test, calling on the Lord can supply us and bring us through our frustration and disappointment. Even though the fact of our failure does not change, our calling alters our situation from one of disappointment to one of enjoyment. Calling refreshes us in every circumstance. As we turn from our daily predicaments and troubles to Christ, we experience a deep, rich flow from our innermost being, a flow that supplies, strengthens, and gives us joy and peace. Day by day, in every situation, the simplest way to enjoy Christ as the fountain is by calling His name.

Calling on the Lord is just one of many ways to enjoy Him; there are many other practices that help us to enjoy Him. Seeking the Lord in the Bible helps us to enjoy God.⁵ Prayer is also another good way to enjoy the rich flow in our spirit. No matter what we do to enjoy Him, the most important thing is that we turn to our deepest part—our spirit. When we turn to our spirit, the words Jesus spoke two thousand years ago will become reality in us—"Out of our innermost being shall flow rivers of living water."⁶

1 John 7:37–38. 2 Romans 10:9. 3 John 4:14. 4 Isaiah 12:3. 5 Jeremiah 15:16. 6 John 7:38.

To receive the Lord Jesus as the Spirit into your spirit, please pray the following prayer from your heart:

"Lord Jesus, I open my whole being to You. Thank You for creating me with a spirit to receive You. Lord Jesus, right now I open to receive You as the Spirit into my spirit. Forgive me of my sins and come into me right now to fill the deepest part of my being with Yourself."