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| Bridal Falls - BC, Canada |
TO CHEW ON: "There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High." Psalm 46:4.
Though there was no actual river flowing through Jerusalem, it seems the city had a subterranean water supply that was the source of various fountains and pools throughout the city (K. R. Dick Iverson - study notes on Psalms, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 723).
That unseen river makes a wonderful symbol of the hidden life of God for believers then and still today. All three members of the Godhead have a part in that flow.
God the Father: He begs the wayward to come back to Him as their life-giver - "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water" - Jeremiah 2:13.
God the Son: After a chapter in which the prophet Zechariah foresees Jesus' death (specifically Zechariah 12:10) he says: "In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness" - Zechariah 13:1.
God the Holy Spirit: Jesus' offer of life-giving water to the Samaritan woman:
"'…but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life'" - John 14:4,
This is elaborated on later as the fountain of the Holy Spirit:
"'He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified" - John 7;38,39.
What a picture of God's refreshing supply of life for us.
1. We leave our own stale cisterns of self-help and self-determination and turn to God.
2. We are cleansed from sin in the fountain of Jesus' blood:
"There is a fountain filled with blood
drawn from Immanuel's veins
and sinners plunged beneath that flood
lose all their guilty stains" - from the hymn by William Cowper.
3. We now live this new life by the power of the Holy Spirit. Its evidence is joy (Acts 13:52; 1 Thessalonians 1:6).
I ask you, have we taken advantage of this cleansing river? Is it refreshing and renewing us? Is living water flowing from our lives?
PRAYER: Thank You for this beautiful picture of life in and with You. May streams of living water flow from my life today. Amen.
MORE: "There is a Fountain Filled with Blood"
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New King James Version (NKJV) Used with permission. The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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