When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)  – Jn. 4:7-8

The poor woman went to the well that day for the same reason she had routinely made that trip countless number of times before. She was not expecting any extraordinary situation as she approached the well. But the sight of the man sitting by it may have raised a hair. He was alone and nobody else was around the area. As she got ready to draw the water, the stranger said to her, “Will you give me a drink” (Jn. 4:7)? Now, that shocked her. The accent was familiar, but certainly not Samaritan. It was Jewish, and that was more shocking – for Jews did not associate with Samaritans (9). What followed next would change, not only the life of the woman, but that of the folks in her town forever.

When God wants our attention, sometimes, He isolates us in different situations. On the day Jesus met this Samaritan woman, the place was isolated. It was not by chance, as the world may call it. It was divinely planned. Neither was it dictated by circumstances. It was a determined agenda on the Savior’s earthly calendar, and very purposeful. The meeting had one goal – the salvation of a wretched woman (17-20) and that of many others in her town (39-42). It was a calculated meeting to open the Samaritans to the miracle and blessing of God’s redeeming grace. Every minute was planned for teaching and effect; and it was extremely successful.

There are times God isolates us for a specific purpose. Sometimes, He chooses to isolate us on a sickbed, so He can have our attention. Other times He drives everybody away from us. He may choose to take something we love away from us or prevents us from succeeding in something – either through our own negligence or other people’s doing – just that He may have us to Himself.

My call to ministry came that way. I was saved at a time when pride was driving my life in every way. My first love took me to every Christian meeting in town. Some aspects of my business that did not glorify Christ were shut down. However, nothing I initiated in their place succeeded. I sensed God’s call into ministry, but I was determined to grow my business before responding, for fear of what my friends would say. One morning after my devotion in Sterling, Virginia, the Lord cleared everybody out of an entire townhouse in order to speak to me. His question came very clearly as in an audible voice and in my native language: “The opinion of your friends and that of mine, which is weightier to you?” He had me. I broke down and wept like a baby, going up and down the staircase of the three story house, and asking for forgiveness and surrendering. Even though I was a legal resident of the USA, my direction was to train in Ghana, as my call was to Africa. God isolated me to get my attention that day like that of the Samaritan woman.

Your troubles may be signals of God’s call for your attention. Your message and direction may be different from that of Moses, the Samaritan woman, or I. But, the isolation is for the same purpose – your attention. The earlier you respond and let yourself go, the better it would be for you. My encouragement to you is that, I can’t bargain for a better deal with Jesus than what He has given me. It’s a call you will never regret responding to.