Read

Torres Del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile. Photo by Charles F. Stanley.

Daily Devotion

From Emptiness to Fulfillment

Jesus can satisfy the yearnings of your heart.

February 17, 2026

Reading Options

A A A

Related Scripture

3 He left Judea and went away again into Galilee.

4 And He had to pass through Samaria.

5 So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph;

6 and Jacob's well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, ``Give Me a drink."

8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

9 Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, ``How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

10 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."

11 She said to Him, ``Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water?

12 ``You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?"

13 Jesus answered and said to her, ``Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again;

14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

15 The woman said to Him, ``Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw."

16 He said to her, ``Go, call your husband and come here."

17 The woman answered and said, ``I have no husband." Jesus said to her, ``You have correctly said, `I have no husband';

18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly."

19 The woman said to Him, ``Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.

20 ``Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."

21 Jesus said to her, ``Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.

22 ``You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.

23 ``But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.

24 ``God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

25 The woman said to Him, ``I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us."

26 Jesus said to her, ``I who speak to you am He. "

27 At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, ``What do You seek?" or, ``Why do You speak with her?"

28 So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men,

29 ``Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?"

Bible in a Year

Numbers 26

1 Then it came about after the plague, that the LORD spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying,

2 ``Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers' households, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel."

3 So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,

4 `` Take a census of the people from twenty years old and upward, as the LORD has commanded Moses." Now the sons of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt were:

5 Reuben, Israel's firstborn, the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites;

6 of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites.

7 These are the families of the Reubenites, and those who were numbered of them were 43,730.

8 The son of Pallu: Eliab.

9 The sons of Eliab: Nemuel and Dathan and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram who were called by the congregation, who contended against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the LORD,

10 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up along with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, so that they became a warning.

11 The sons of Korah, however, did not die.

12 The sons of Simeon according to their families: of Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the family of the Jachinites;

13 of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites.

14 These are the families of the Simeonites, 22,200.

15 The sons of Gad according to their families: of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the family of the Haggites; of Shuni, the family of the Shunites;

16 of Ozni, the family of the Oznites; of Eri, the family of the Erites;

17 of Arod, the family of the Arodites; of Areli, the family of the Arelites.

18 These are the families of the sons of Gad according to those who were numbered of them, 40,500.

19 The sons of Judah were Er and Onan, but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.

20 The sons of Judah according to their families were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites; of Perez, the family of the Perezites; of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites.

21 The sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites.

22 These are the families of Judah according to those who were numbered of them, 76,500.

23 The sons of Issachar according to their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the family of the Punites;

24 of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites.

25 These are the families of Issachar according to those who were numbered of them, 64,300.

26 The sons of Zebulun according to their families: of Sered, the family of the Seredites; of Elon, the family of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites.

27 These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those who were numbered of them, 60,500.

28 The sons of Joseph according to their families: Manasseh and Ephraim.

29 The sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of the Machirites; and Machir became the father of Gilead: of Gilead, the family of the Gileadites.

30 These are the sons of Gilead: of Iezer, the family of the Iezerites; of Helek, the family of the Helekites;

31 and of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; and of Shechem, the family of the Shechemites;

32 and of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; and of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites.

33 Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but only daughters; and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.

34 These are the families of Manasseh; and those who were numbered of them were 52,700.

35 These are the sons of Ephraim according to their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthelahites; of Becher, the family of the Becherites; of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites.

36 These are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites.

37 These are the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those who were numbered of them, 32,500. These are the sons of Joseph according to their families.

38 The sons of Benjamin according to their families: of Bela, the family of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites;

39 of Shephupham, the family of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites.

40 The sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the family of the Ardites; of Naaman, the family of the Naamites.

41 These are the sons of Benjamin according to their families; and those who were numbered of them were 45,600.

42 These are the sons of Dan according to their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan according to their families.

43 All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those who were numbered of them, were 64,400.

44 The sons of Asher according to their families: of Imnah, the family of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the family of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the family of the Beriites.

45 Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites.

46 The name of the daughter of Asher was Serah.

47 These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those who were numbered of them, 53,400.

48 The sons of Naphtali according to their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites;

49 of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites.

50 These are the families of Naphtali according to their families; and those who were numbered of them were 45,400.

51 These are those who were numbered of the sons of Israel, 601,730.

52 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

53 ``Among these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names.

54 ``To the larger group you shall increase their inheritance, and to the smaller group you shall diminish their inheritance; each shall be given their inheritance according to those who were numbered of them.

55 ``But the land shall be divided by lot. They shall receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers.

56 ``According to the selection by lot, their inheritance shall be divided between the larger and the smaller groups. "

57 These are those who were numbered of the Levites according to their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites.

58 These are the families of Levi: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korahites. Kohath became the father of Amram.

59 The name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and she bore to Amram: Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam.

60 To Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

61 But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered strange fire before the LORD.

62 Those who were numbered of them were 23,000, every male from a month old and upward, for they were not numbered among the sons of Israel since no inheritance was given to them among the sons of Israel.

63 These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

64 But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.

65 For the LORD had said of them, ``They shall surely die in the wilderness." And not a man was left of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

Numbers 27

1 Then the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph, came near; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah and Hoglah and Milcah and Tirzah.

2 They stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the leaders and all the congregation, at the doorway of the tent of meeting, saying,

3 ``Our father died in the wilderness, yet he was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah; but he died in his own sin, and he had no sons.

4 ``Why should the name of our father be withdrawn from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father's brothers."

5 So Moses brought their case before the LORD.

6 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

7 ``The daughters of Zelophehad are right in their statements. You shall surely give them a hereditary possession among their father's brothers, and you shall transfer the inheritance of their father to them.

8 ``Further, you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, `If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.

9 `If he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.

10 `If he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father's brothers.

11 `If his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his nearest relative in his own family, and he shall possess it; and it shall be a statutory ordinance to the sons of Israel, just as the LORD commanded Moses.'"

12 Then the LORD said to Moses, ``Go up to this mountain of Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the sons of Israel.

13 ``When you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was;

14 for in the wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to treat Me as holy before their eyes at the water." (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

15 Then Moses spoke to the LORD, saying,

16 ``May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation,

17 who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD will not be like sheep which have no shepherd."

18 So the LORD said to Moses, ``Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him;

19 and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and commission him in their sight.

20 ``You shall put some of your authority on him, in order that all the congregation of the sons of Israel may obey him.

21 ``Moreover, he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his command they shall go out and at his command they shall come in, both he and the sons of Israel with him, even all the congregation."

22 Moses did just as the LORD commanded him; and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation.

23 Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.

John 4:3-29

As we saw yesterday, many people experience feelings of emptiness. How can we prevent this from happening? The account of the Samaritan woman in John 4 is a wonderful place to start. Through the story, we learn that ...

Filling our emptiness is important to the Lord. In the first century, Jewish people bypassed Samaria because of their hatred for its inhabitants. Yet Jesus chose to travel there because He knew a hurting woman was ready to hear about the Father’s love.

Our attempts at happiness often fall short. The woman at the well had been wed five times, but her marriages hadn’t provided what she truly needed.

God knows our pain. When the woman said she didn’t have a husband, Jesus revealed that He already knew. By demonstrating His awareness of both her hurt and her longing, He helped the woman recognize her greater need: a Savior.

Jesus can satisfy our yearnings. Jesus revealed the way to experience a full life: “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst” (vv. 13-14).

Do you ever feel like the Samaritan woman—tossed aside and craving love and fulfillment? Surrender to your loving heavenly Father, and life as you know it will change for the better.

Bible in One Year: Numbers 26-27

Explore Other Devotions

Daily Devotion

How to Have an Abundant Life

True fulfillment comes when we seek God above everything else.

February 16, 2026

Daily Devotion

How We Respond to a Storm

Our view of God impacts our reactions to adversity.

February 15, 2026

Daily Devotion

Showing Agape Love

Divine love enables us to forgive, serve generously, and restore those who have fallen.

February 14, 2026

See All Devotions

The Attractive Quality of Kindness

The Mighty Hand of God

Our Predestined Appointment - Part 2

24/7 Radio