There is a River
There is a River
“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8
The picture of those blessed by God presented here is one of trust. Trust is a virtue that grows through experience. This ever-deepening relationship is like a tree sending its roots into the river.
This rapport is one of life and wonder. The river as the supply and the tree sending forth its roots expresses a growing bond between the two. The tree becomes impervious to the external conditions of life because of its hidden supply.
“shall not see when heat cometh…”
“but her leaf shall be green”
“shall not be careful in the year of drought”
“neither shall cease from yielding fruit”
Christ Himself is our river. His Life continually refreshes, invigorates, and draws us to extend the roots of our being into the ONE who never fails.
Our response to the upheavals in the earth and the raging of the nations is clear:
“Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling…”
Psalm 46:2-3
God’s answer:
“There is a river
whose streams shall make glad the city of God.”
Psalm 46:4
To those who are His, “there is a river” that remains undisturbed and unmoved by the calamities in the earth. The blessed life is found by those who “send forth” their roots into Him who is steadfast and sure. The inner supply of His Life will cause them to remain nourished and to bear fruit continuously.
May we, in the face of all that is coming upon us, draw near to the ONE who will faithfully uphold us, secure us, and enable us to “make glad the City of God!” Relationship with Him is the fountain by which we bless and minister His goodness to the City of God. Within this river is the power and enablement to share His wonder.
“THERE IS ONE body, and ONE Spirit, even as ye are called in ONE hope of your calling; ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
Ephesians 4:4-6
The purpose of God in Christ is far beyond the message of forgiveness. His desire is relationship and intimacy. The depth of our partaking of Him is revealed in the extent of our outreach and the fruit we bear.
“There is a river
whose streams shall make glad the city of God.”
Psalm 46:4
May we allow His Life to expand our abilities to love, to reach beyond our limits of self, and to become a stream that “makes glad” the City of God. The storm is coming, the upheavals of the earth are imminent, and God has but one answer:
“There is a River…”
Related Post:
The Purpose of the Holy Spirit
“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month.”
Revelation 22:1-2
Brian Troxel
Below is a vision the Lord showed me in 2010. I believe it goes along with your posting.
Follow the Stream Revisited
Eze 47:3 He walked to the east with a measuring tape and measured off fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water that was ankle-deep.
Eze 47:4 He measured off another fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water waist-deep.
Eze 47:5 He measured off another fifteen hundred feet. By now it was a river over my head, water to swim in, water no one could possibly walk through.
The Lord showed me a vision in February of 2010 based on these verses from Ezekiel. In the vision I saw a stream that was ankle-deep and people were crossing over the stream to get to the other side. The stream to them was an obstacle to be crossed that stood in the way of them and the other side(their ministry). Others walked in the stream for a bit and then got out because the water was only ankle – deep and it was easy to get in and out of the stream, Still others walked in the stream following the path of the stream faithfully wherever it went.
As this last group followed the stream the water began to rise and it became knee-deep, yet still easy enough for anyone who wanted to, to get out of the stream and onto dry land. Those who remained faithful and followed the path of the stream found that the water was now waist deep, and although a lot more difficult, there still exists a way out of the water for those who chose to get out. Finally, the faithful ones who followed the stream from the time it was ankle-deep water until it was waist deep find themselves in a river that was over their head and in water that no one could possibly walk through.
The explanation of the vision is this: The water is the Holy Spirit. There are those involved in ministry that see the stream as an obstacle to get to the bank on the other side(their ministry) rather than a path to follow. Then there were those who wanted to get their feet wet in the ankle-deep water and then quickly get out because their level of commitment was as shallow as the stream that they walked/crossed. They liked the idea of going along with the current of the stream (the Holy Spirit) at first but lost interest because the water was only ankle-deep( the miracles & signs and wonders weren’t enough to keep their attention) Then there were those who pursued the water until it was knee-deep, a deeper commitment by those who pursued the stream when it was just a small stream and they are representative of those who have surrendered a greater amount of their will than those in the ankle-deep water. And, the anointing on that is on their lives shows it Then we have those who have followed the stream from ankle-deep to waist-deep. The deeper you go in the stream is in direct proportion to how much of your will is surrendered to God’s will. The deeper you go the harder it is to get out, although it is still possible to do so. The deeper the water, the greater the anointing, the presence, the power and ministry. Finally we see the faithful ones who have faithfully followed the stream from the time it was ankle-deep to where we see the that the water has become a river and is over the heads of those in it and no one could possibly walk through it. These 4 stages of water depth represent the ever-increasing presence and power and anointing that the Holy Spirit is , and will be poured out. Those who are among those who are in water over their head are those who have completely surrendered their will to the will of God and it is these who will walk in signs and wonders ministry such as not even the Apostles saw.
There is no short cut that can be taken here. In order for one to have the Spirit’s anointing, presence, and power , they must follow the path of the stream from within the stream and not on the banks. And, it must be followed from ankle-deep to the river that no one could possibly cross.
Also realize that it looks from a common sense perspective to follow a stream’s path from within the stream, very stupid and foolish. It makes much more sense to follow the streams path from the safety of the bank and on dry ground. Those who pursue the course of the stream from within the stream will be looked at as foolish and stupid. But it is they who will walk in the greatest anointing
https://tpuccio.wordpress.com/2013/06/24/follow-the-stream-revisited/
Amen 🙏🤗