Listen

Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, shining like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb through the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river is the tree of life, which produces twelve crops of fruit, bearing its fruit each month. The tree’s leaves are for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Night will be no more. They won’t need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will shine on them, and they will rule forever and always.

Think

When I went to camp we sang, “I’ve got a river of life flowin’ out of me. Makes the lame to walk and the blind to see…” I loved the part where I got to spring up and yell, “Gush, gush, gush, gush!” My father grew up singing, “Yes, we’ll gather at the river; the beautiful, the beautiful river. Gather with the saints at the river that flows from the throne of God.” Both songs find their roots in this passage. They speak of God’s presence gushing out to heal a hurting world and of the end of life, where we gather at the river, to ride toward the throne of God.

The Bible is full of images involving water – Moses striking the rock or parting the sea, Noah and the flood, Jesus offering living water, Amos speaking of justice rolling down like waters. I once heard the foremost expert on global water issues for the United Nations say that “Water is life.” This is so true when you think of the lack of access to water in many places in Sub-Saharan Africa. Less real for us, where we have perhaps more than two dozen access points to water in our single family homes. But try to vision your thirstiest moments, when you are so parched that your mouth is dry. Now visualize yourself drinking from a river of crystal clear water and how good it feels as you drink freely.

This is part of God’s vision for us, and for those around the world. God wants to fill our every fiber with cool water, living water, holy water. All we have to do is drink deep.

Pray

God, I want to drink deeply. But I am hesitant because to drink deeply means you will be fully in my life, and I like my life. I have a good routine going – including a daily devotion! But I have dreams and ideas of my own and I am afraid you will call me to go somewhere out of my routine. But today, I will sip. And tomorrow I will sip again, and I will trust you to gradually fill me and move me to do your work in the world. Amen.

Go

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art -
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.