“And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live.…Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.””
Ezekiel 47:9, 12 NKJV
Recently I wrote about the power of roots and how they’ll stretch and extend, pressing through rocks to reach water. Likewise, rivers will erode the objects in its way as it rushes from the source, through the path it carves out, until it reaches its destination. The natural flow of a river cannot be stopped.
The start of a river is called a source and the end is called the mouth. Rivers typically start in a high, mountainous place and end in a lake or sea. On and on the river travels, carrying and spreading life through irrigating fields and providing valuable resources. There are youthful, mature, and old rivers – youthful rivers flow fast while old rivers flow slowly – but still they flow.
Much could be said about the importance of rivers to society. The Bible speaks of a River that flows from the throne of G-d to His people (Revelation 22:1), and the book of John says a river of living water flows out of those who believe. Just like the stages of a river, the River “flows” fast, still other times it is slow and serene. Some seasons the banks of the River overflow with blessings I cannot contain, and still at other times the River seems to slow to a crawl. But this River – His River – never runs dry. As long as I keep my source in Him, I have access to Life – Life so desperately needed by the world around me. In Him is life abundant. But when I move out from under His protection, when I move away from my Life source, I’m prone to doubt and drought.
He gives life wherever He goes. And as long as I’m in Him, I bear fruit for food and leaves for healing. Less of me. More of Him.
Father – thank You for Your Word and for Your truth. Thank You for how You lovingly teach me day after day. Keep me near to Your heart. You are good and You keep doing good. Your leadership in my life is perfect and You can be trusted. Amen.
Daily Reading: Ezekiel 46-48
September 12, 2022