There Is A River

God’s mercies are flowing for you right now. God’s river is a very present reality. 

“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God” Psalm 46:4

You can dive into and swim in God’s grace. 

“Again he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not cross, for the water had risen, deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed.” Ezekiel 47:5

You can draw water from God’s well of salvation. 

“Therefore with joy will you draw water out of the wells of salvation.” Isaiah 12:3

You can call on the name of the Lord.

“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13

You can drink from God’s streams in the desert.

“I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19

Many times we find ourselves in situations where we instinctively rely on our own capacities, doing what comes naturally to us and expecting things to work out. When there’s a hitch we are likely to try a little harder, switch strategy, react or get upset.

In those situations, as well as the rest of life, we are to remember that God is our source and God has streams of blessing for us to access. We are not supposed to ‘go it alone’ and do our own thing. We are not supposed to prove ourselves by our ability to solve the problems on our own.

We are meant to ‘live by faith’, as in employing faith on a continuing moment by moment basis, 24/7 (all day, every day). 

“The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:17

So when you find yourself struggling with something, remind yourself that there is river. There are wells of salvation. There are streams in your desert. The name of the Lord is your strong tower. What you need to do is to drink, and to swim and to call.

Remember to commit your way to God and to look to Him, not to your own capacities.

I recall a teenage school girl who became a Christian through her friends and turned up at a church where I was pastoring. She was told by her friends to start each day by committing it to God and letting Him be in control, solving problems before they even happened. She began to do that, with lovely results. She told me that she had forgotten to pray that prayer one day and was surprised how many challenges she faced. She went back to committing her days to God consistently.

Make a point of committing your day, your situation, your relationships, your finances, your heath, your friendships, your workload, and everything else to God each day. And when issues come along be quick to dive into God’s streams of blessing, hiding in Him and calling on His name.

Don’t make the mistake of trying to dig your own way out of trouble, when the Lord is there to look after things so much better than you ever can.

God has made a way for you, so don’t forget that There Is A River.

Tags: self-reliance