God's Special River

I have been reading the story of a man who walked the whole length of the river Nile, an amazing journey. Also in the news was the journey a young man made, walking the 4000 miles of the Yangtze River in China. These rivers are two of the greatest rivers in the world.

But if you go to Jerusalem looking for a river you will be disappointed - there's no river there. Why then does Psalm 46 speak of a "river whose streams make glad the city of God"? This is a poetic picture of the great blessing which there is when God is in the centre, not just of his city, but in the centre of our lives as well.

Verse 3 of Psalm 46 tells of the chaos that can happen when God is not in the centre of things. Verse 4 shows the big contrast when he is. This is a picture that the prophet Ezekiel used when he had a vision of God's 'new' city, really a picture of heaven, and there was a great river flowing out from the temple of God. In the book of Revelation this picture is taken up again in chapter 22. Here this great river is flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb and on its banks grow the tree of life and all sorts of fruit — a beautiful scene of blessing and plenty, all of it because it comes from God.

So this picture of God's special river is one that he wants us to take seriously. When we trust in him there is life in abundance.

Prayer

Dear Lord, help me to realise that there is abundant life in your salvation. Amen.