The River Of God

Sylvia Deall

Jun 21, 2008

I keep thinking about rivers in the natural and how they are used. Surely the river of God is similar. We can get our drinking water from them, or could before we polluted them. We can use them for bathing and for washing our clothes. We can play in them – swim, have fun, be refreshed. What is nicer on a hot day than jumping in a cold river and enjoying its pleasures! We can catch our dinner in them if we are clever and don’t mind putting worms on hooks and getting fish off. (Can you tell I don’t like fishing?)

It’s no different in the Spirit. God tells us to come to the waters to drink…He is the living water. He tells us to come and be refreshed. He wants us deep in Him, because He promises us fullness of life. We get healed in the river of God and set free – all the baggage washes off, all the condemnation, all the sin and the shame. We are cleansed through and through. His joy is our strength – joy involves fun and laughter and playing with Him. It took me a long time to learn to have fun with God – so much religious junk spoils this side of our relationship with Him. When we are in the thick of battle, or going through the desert, in the tough places of life, we need that refreshing and relaxation in His river, so we can go on walking where He has led us. And fishing, well He has made us fishers of men, and when we are dripping wet with His life from the river, we can catch others.

I want the fullness of God, the fun side as well as the serious side. I want to be lost in Him and found in Him and to be like Him in every way. I want to live in His river of life. I want to be soaked…and He soaks us just how we need to be soaked at any given time. I keep thinking of the scripture in Ecc 3…that there is a time for everything, there is a time to laugh, and time to mourn and a time to dance as well as a time to war. God knows our hearts, and where we are at, and exactly what we need. If I am in Him, even in the place of joy and laughter and fun, my spirit won’t miss a change in His Spirit within me calling me to war.

If I seem to be playing it’s because I need to play, if I seem to be drunk, it’s because He’s given me so much new wine to drink, if I throw fire it’s because He has made me a fire carrier, if I weep it’s because He has called me to weep, if I war it’s time for war….to everything there is a season and He is the Lord of the seasons. And He knows my heart, knows my need, knows my desire is only to please Him.

Let’s use His river in every way possible, enjoy it and live in the fullness of Him!