Throughout history, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit as well as God’s movement in- among- through- and out of his people are pictured in Scripture as a flowing river. This flowing of God through them should be normal in the life of every Christian. The river brings life and vitality to us since we are the planting of the Lord. When we are filled with Him, He will also flow out of us as rivers of living water. The water flowing to and through us, causes us to bear fruit (food) and gives us leaves (hands of healing) for others and thus we are the suppliers of new fruits and fresh supplies of Christ, or his life, to those around us. What happened to Israel when they left Egypt is symbolic of what Jesus did for us. The river of life started to flow towards all of humanity on the cross. When Jesus’ heart was pierced, water and blood flowed out. The blood was toward our salvation and re-generation, and the flow of water (symbolic of the Spirit) indicated that the Spirit will flow wherever the blood first has cleansed. Jesus first revealed this living water to the woman at the well in Samaria because of her thirst. Jesus is the river, and drinking from him, his life, is not something intangible or abstract but it is a relationship with him, believing in him and becoming part of his heart and character. For the world to be touched by God, we, by believing, being thirsty and drinking of Christ, will be God’s conduits. We need to humbly recognize our own poverty of spirit without him and deeply drink of him to flow forth with his power. Pursuing Jesus is what is important because He is the source of everything in God.
