There Is a River
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. (Revelation 22.1-2)
Folks in Charleston, SC make a tongue-in-cheek claim: "Charleston. The place where the Cooper River and the Ashley River come together to form the Atlantic Ocean.” Pretty impressive! Recently, Aaron, my son-in-law, took me on a boat ride up the Cooper River branch of that vaunted watershed, and it was quite impressive! It took us a long time to get to where the water flowed fresh.
The prophet Ezekiel (chapter 47) saw a vision of a river - the river of God's grace - that flowed from under the throne of God. It began as a trickle, but soon became "a river that could not be passed through." (It formed the ocean of God's love!) It was, in essence, a river of life, for wherever the river went, life accompanied it (v. 9).
John the Revelator saw that same river in his vision in chapter 22. It was "the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God." Wherever that river flows, life and bounty go along with it. What a beautiful picture of heaven, but may we also think of this river as an encouraging model for the Christian here and now?
Water of life. Jesus is the living water, and he has come that we might have life - and have it more abundantly.
Bright as crystal. The water of life is pure. It then has a twofold message - let Jesus purify your heart and do not do anything yourself to dirty the water!
Flowing from the throne. God's riches will never run dry. Let us drink deeply and daily from his grace and abundance!
Passing through the middle. God's life is not something far and removed, but it passes right through your life!
Lord, I am reminded of that old gospel song: "There is a river, and it flows from deep within. There is a fountain, that frees the soul from sin. Come to this water; there is a vast supply. There is a river, that never shall run dry." Amen. (Max and David Sapp)