Ezekiel 47:1: “Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar.”
October 10th, 2021 by Pastor Ed in devotionalEzekiel’s vision of the future temple describes life-giving waters that will flow from under the doorway of the temple eastward to the Dead Sea. The farther this water flows, the deeper it gets. As Ezekiel followed its path, he reported that the water increased from ankle-deep, to knee-deep, to waist-deep, until it finally became an overflowing deep river that provided life everywhere it went and to everything it touched.
This is a beautiful, elegant description of how the Holy Spirit works in the lives of those who surrender to God’s mercy and grace. At first, God’s gracious supply is a small stream flowing through our lives, but it continues to increase as we continue to walk in the light of God’s Word. As water is critical for a desert to bloom, so God’s spiritual water is critical for every believer to become all that God intends them to be. The Holy Spirit brings us wisdom, power, and spiritual transformation that will last forever. The flow of God’s Spirit gets deeper and deeper for those who seek Him and walk with Him. His water is available for any who surrender to Him.
A crew off the coast of Brazil were shipwrecked and set adrift for days in a small boat. They were desperate for water but didn’t dare drink the seawater because the high salt content would kill them. When they finally saw a boat coming toward them, they called out, “Water! Water!” The people on the boat called back, “Dip your bucket over the side.” They thought they were being mocked, but it turned out that they had drifted into the Amazon River, which is fresh, drinkable water. There was fresh water all around them, and all they had to do was dip into it and drink; they just didn’t know it. Each day people cross our path who are ignorant of God’s Word and will perish if someone doesn’t share the life-giving Holy Spirit, through the Good News, with them.
“LORD, help us to become completely immersed in Your river of eternal life this day.”