I was reading in Ezekiel 47 about the angel that showed him a river flowing out of the Temple. He took Ezekiel outside and showed him where it came out of the wall. From there, the angel followed the river and measured off 1,750 feet and they walked across ankle deep water. They measured off another 1,750 feet and crossed again. This time the water was to their knees. They measured another 1,750 and crossed through water that was waist high. After that, they measured another 1,750 feet and couldn’t cross because it was so deep. Then in verse 6, the angel looks at him and asks, “Have you been watching?”
Up to that point, I had just been reading the chapter. When the angel asked that, I thought, “What am I missing? What was he to watch for? Is there significance in the depth of the river? Why did they measure 1,750 feet at a time?” My mind kept going trying to figure out what the angel was getting at because he doesn’t tell what he was supposed to see. I re-read it in several versions thinking I’d get something more. Then I was reminded that you and I are the Temple now. After that, my mind went back to when my mom was in the hospital just before she passed. I heard her singing, “I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me. It makes the lame to walk and the blind to see.”
Now, all of a sudden, I see what the angel was saying. Each of us as Christians have the River of Life in us. It comes from the Spring of Heaven and passes through our hearts. It isn’t intended to stay in us though. It was designed to flow out of us to others. The closer we keep it to ourselves, the more shallow it is. The further we let it go, the deeper it becomes and has a greater effect. Too many times we try to bottle up that river flowing out of us. We don’t want to offend. We don’t want to force our religion on others. We hold it in so we can fit in. The problem with all of that is that we withhold life from others when we do that.
In verse 7, with fresh eyes, Ezekiel looks at the riverbank and sees life. He said, “I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river.” The angel then said, “This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure… Life will flourish wherever this water flows.” For those who have yet to receive Christ, they are dead in their sins. The water that flows out of you can flow into the desert they are in. It can fill the valley that they are walking through. It can make the dead parts of their life come alive.
It all starts inside of you. Another part of that song that my mom loved so much said, “Spring up, O Well, within my soul!” The well within each of us needs to spring up so that we can bring life to a dying world. The well inside of us needs to spring up so we can water trees that will bear fruit. The well inside of us needs to spring up so that it flows more than just a few feet from us at ankle deep. The well needs to spring up so that we can bring healing to those who are hurting. How much water is your well producing? Have you been letting it through your walls or have you been trying to contain it? Let God’s Word and love flow through you today to others. His love is deep and wide. Don’t hold it in.
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 