The River of Life
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, "Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:39-39
I wrote the following on Friday, August 26, 2016, just a few months before beginning to write “Transformed by God’s Nature.”
Jesus paints an image of the Holy Spirit as a river of living water. I was led to contemplate this image in my drive along the river today. My first glimpse of the river was one of rapids tumbling over rocks, splashing and sparkling in the August sunshine. A short distance downriver, there was a bend in the river, forming a deep pool of still water along the river bank. As I prayed and thought over the different conditions in the river, my thoughts turned to the life within the waters. Fish do not choose to dwell in the rapids.
I meditated on these images and talked them over with my husband, who knows quite a bit about fish and their behavior. I believe the thoughts that follow are the lessons that God wants me to take from the river today.
Approximately seven years ago, my life entered a stretch of rapids. As a creature being carried and sustained by the River of the Holy Spirit, the course became difficult and rocky. Life in that stretch was extremely painful for several years. I was slammed into many rocks that I did not see coming. Still, always, the Water carried me along. I was very aware of the Spirit's presence as He moved me, giving me breath and life. In a river, where the water is moving quickly and frothing over rocks, the water is white. The splashing is noisy. Anyone in that part of the river is very aware of the water's presence. And so it was in my life in the rapids. The Spirit of God was so clearly visible and noticeable to me. He ministered to my heart in ways that I had never experienced. He raised up specific people to bless our family in very specific ways. The journey down that stretch of river was the most painful of my life and, at the same time, the most faith-building because I was so very aware of His presence.
More recently, the River has carried me to a still pool. I am not being dashed against rocks. There is no white water or splashing. Life is not as painful. But the water is so clear and still that I have found myself less aware of the River — the Spirit of God. He is still completely surrounding me, but I have to consciously choose to be aware of His presence. Therein lies the danger in this stretch. I have become lazy, complacent, and self-reliant. The interesting thing about a river is that the stirring of waters in the rapids is where the water is oxygenated. The fish in the river need that oxygen. The still pools, where the water moves little, lacks oxygen that is needed for life. The creature that dwells in the still pool will fail to thrive. That fish may die if it doesn't break out of the still pool and re-enter the moving stream. This takes effort on the part of the fish. The river has provided the strength to move through the rapids and into the still pool. But the fish must exert itself to move back into the river.
So it is with my life. I am not thriving. I do not want to enter into the rapids again. But there is a sweet spot on the edge of the rapids. A place where the Spirit of God is moving and giving life. A place where I can participate in the life of the River. Father, give me the strength to move out and to live my life there.