When the River Runs Through Our Prayer
So everything will live where the river goes. (Ezekiel 47:9)
Ezek. 47:1-9; Gen. 2:10; Rev. 22:1; Ps. 1:1-3; Ps. 64:4; John 4:14; Rev. 7:17 and 22:17
What Is God Saying?
Here, we read about the river of God's love and healing. This river is similar to those mentioned in the beginning (Gen. 2:10) and at the end of the Bible (Rev. 22:1-2). In Genesis, the River of Life keeps the Garden of Eden a place of radiant health and abundant nourishment. In Ezekiel, the river flows from the Temple, the dwelling place of God. In Revelation, the river flows from the Throne of God, where He rules in absolute power and love. All of the rivers bring God's strong and gentle love. They all bring about His purpose of cleansing and healing.
The great blessing of Eden's river and the one mentioned in Revelation is that both sustain the Tree of Life. True life is dependent on the presence of God. Sin took Adam and Eve away from the River of Life. God's gift of redemption will bring us back to the Tree of Life by ‘the river of the Water of Life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb.’ From paradise lost to paradise restored, and between is the yearning love of God to forgive and bless all who will receive the greatest Gift, Jesus Christ. Ezekiel reminds us that ‘everything will live where the river goes.’ This life can happen now (Ps. 1:3). Not just then or later, but now.
How Does This Apply To Us?
The River of Life never runs dry. We run dry when we deliberately choose to leave the presence of God. It will be wonderful beyond imagination when evil is finally subdued, and our eyes see the King in His beauty. That is our great hope and strong comfort, but abundant life, joy, and peace can be a reality now. ‘The Kingdom of God is within you’ (Lk. 17:21). Heaven doesn't have to wait. God wants us to have the blessings of heaven on the way to heaven. The choice is ours. Stay near the river, draw nourishment from God's truth and love, and put Christ on the throne of your heart now. Do that and live. Stray from the river and die. Stay by the river and live. ‘Everything will live where the river goes.’ That is true now and will be true forever.
Pray With Me
Lord, I have seen tumbleweeds impaled against a fence and rolling before the wind across a field. They were living plants until the rain failed, and their roots grew brittle and dry; they broke in the wind. Pushed by the wind, they rolled and tumbled until they were piled against a fence. Sad, purposeless, and forlorn is life deprived of water. Lord, it happens to souls as well as soils. It could happen to me.
Lord, let me draw in the fullness of life provided for me in Your rivers of living water. I would receive the nourishment of Your Holy Spirit as He leads me into all truth and away from all vanity. I would read Your Word with more hunger and let it speak to my needs. I would obey that Word with more forgetfulness of self and awareness of others. I die to self that I might live for You. I will be a tree planted by the rivers of water. I don't have to be a bush rolling across the desert. Let the river of Your life-giving fullness flow around me, in me, and through me this day, for this is Your promise, ‘Everything will live where the river goes.’
In the name of Him who said, ‘Out of the heart of him who believes in me shall flow rivers of living water.’ Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
Thriving trees by flowing rivers is a perfect picture to hold before us in prayer. The rivers of blessing come from the presence of God and His Throne. Those who meditate on God's Word and linger in fellowship with the Lord will find their lives ‘like a tree planted by the rivers of water.’ Its fruit is abundant and healthy. Its leaves are green. Prayer is another word for staying close to the river. ‘Everything will live where the river goes.’ Does it flow through our prayers?
