“But I say, walk and live habitually in the Holy Spirit,

responsive to … and guided by the Spirit”

(Galatians 5:16, Amplified Bible, Classic Edition)

Recently, an image came to mind of a river that was flowing calmly and evenly through the countryside. The banks all along the river were, by contrast, very uneven and covered with obstacles such as jagged stones and protruding tree roots.

I sensed the Lord saying: “Here, you can choose to move forward in two ways. You can either stick to the riverbank, walking close to the river but often needing to look away to deal with obstacles. Alternatively, you can choose to step into the river, allowing yourself to be caught up in the current and swim along in its flow, peacefully and with focus.”

I knew the Lord was speaking to my heart about the need to let go and to trust Him more fully – instead of clinging to the riverbank (my self-effort) and encountering unnecessary obstacles along the way.

His words may possibly be speaking to you, too. 

Metaphors relating to water and rivers – symbolizing the life of God or the Holy Spirit – are used very vividly in the Bible. I hope it will be helpful and faith-building to look briefly at just three examples from both the New and Old Testaments:

In the gospel of John, Jesus uses the metaphor of “rivers of living water” in a very striking way to describe the supernatural relationship He offers to anyone who would go to Him and drink from Him. He carefully chose to use this metaphor during the Feast of Tabernacles which traditionally included a ceremony based around the vital importance of water. So the following words of Jesus would have been especially meaningful for those listening to Him at the time:

The apostle John describes the scene: “Now on the final and most important day of the Feast, Jesus stood, and He cried in a loud voice, ‘If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink! He who believes in Me [who cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me] as the Scripture has said, from his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water.’ … He was speaking here of the Spirit” (John 7:38-39, AMPC).

Jesus is saying (at least) two things here. First, He offers an open invitation to anyone who desires, to go to Him and drink. It is a beautiful invitation to receive Him and, in this way, to partake of the very life of God.

Secondly, Jesus promises that whoever does go to Him to drink, and who then chooses to cleave to Him and trust in Him, will themselves – in turn – be so wonderfully filled that those same rivers of living water (ie the Holy Spirit) will pour out from within their very own beings.

Turning to the Old Testament, the metaphor of river water is expressed vividly by the prophet Ezekiel. In one of his divine visions, Ezekiel saw a river flowing directly from the temple of God – and this speaks of the flow of the life of God.

The whole of Ezekiel chapter 47 is a powerful metaphor. Part of this chapter describes the rapid increase in the river’s depth to such a degree that Ezekiel could no longer touch the river bottom and would have to let go and swim. It represents a call to go deeper and deeper into relationship with God; a call to trust Him even when we are way out of our depth and when there is nothing solid, in the natural, upon which to rely. 

A wonderful characteristic of the river observed by Ezekiel was that “everything will live wherever the river flows” (Ezek. 47:9). Meaning that everything will live wherever the life of God flows.

This is a powerful promise, especially for us as new covenant believers in Christ. For we know that “all the promises of God in Him [Christ] are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us” (2 Cor. 1:20). So we can bring this promise from Ezekiel right up to the present day and apply it in faith, trusting that the life of God is not only flowing within us but that it is also pouring out from us to bless others.

Returning to the New Testament, in supreme conclusion, the apostle John describes his own glorious vision of “a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rev. 22:1). An utterly wondrous vision of the Kingdom of God.

Then John goes on to recall the same, fervent invitation that we heard from Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles – to come and freely drink of Him.

John writes: “Let everyone come who is thirsty [who is painfully conscious of his need of those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, and strengthened]; and whoever [earnestly] desires to do it, let him come, take, appropriate, and drink the water of Life without cost” (Rev. 22:17, AMPC).

Responding to this amazing invitation cannot be a one-off decision. Rather, it is an ongoing, moment-by-moment choice that we are called to make.

And we do need to be vigilant.

I am very aware that I can be moving in the flow of the Holy Spirit at one moment, and the next minute find myself tripping over stones on the riverbank – that’s when I’ve looked away from the Lord and fallen back on self-effort. 

But – thanks be to God! – we can rely on the loving guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit to remind us when we are tending to veer towards the riverbank. It is deeply reassuring, too, to know that the Lord Himself is constantly calling us and encouraging us to cleave to Him, drink from Him and to allow His rivers of living water to flow out from within us; to share together with Him in pouring out His love into the world.

We praise Him!

By Ann Shakespeare 27 February 2021