A little river runs through this land, and for as long as I can remember, I have felt the lure of it. It’s a small river, unpretentious, except during a spring melt-off of heavy snowfall or during a downpour of rain. At those times, the river can quickly become a thundering torrent. But most of the time, it quietly flows by, unnoticed by most.
As a child on frequent visits to my grandparent’s house, a walk to the river was always in my plans. Because the riverbed area flooded periodically, it wasn’t farmed. Unlike the cultivated fields and mowed lawns I was used to, this area had a wild feeling about it, which I loved. To me, this spelled adventure.
The river fascinated me. There was always new things to see if I could just be patient and wait. Birds and wildlife of many kinds lived in or nearby the river and I would lose track of time as I observed it all. Some days I’d try fishing. Once I had something on my line that was pulling hard and slow. When I finally got it close enough to see what it was, I found a huge, prehistoric-looking snapping turtle. The snapper broke the line and swam away with my bobber. For days afterward, I would see the bobber slowly rise and then descend in different parts of the river. I thought of how stunning it would be to see below the surface of the water and know all that it contained.
My dog, making sure this little snapping turtle lives up to it’s name. (It does)
Sometimes I would talk to God when I was by the river. As I grew older, there were times when I planned to pray about a certain problem when I would go there, but a funny thing would happen. When I got to the river, the awe and wonder of even the smallest detail of God’s creation would catch my eye, and my attention would be taken off my problem. I would leave the river refreshed, either having forgotten the problem, realizing it wasn’t very important, or figuring out a way through it.
There are so many things I love about the river, but my favorite is it’s sound; that happy, splashy, bubbling sound made by the quiet rush of water flowing over rocks. It’s the song of the river.
One evening a few years ago, I was standing outside, taking in the beauty of the early spring on the river. This is a flyway for migratory birds, and a multitude of many varieties had stopped to rest. I listened as they called to each other in the cool night air. As the last glow of the sunset waned, a crescent moon lit the sky and the earliest stars made their appearance. And underneath and woven all through this loveliness was that well-loved sound; the song of the river. As I listened to it, joy welled up within me, and I couldn’t help asking out loud, “Lord, why do I love that sound so much?” These words immediately came to my mind; “Because it’s the background music of your life.” The concept of my life having background music took me by surprise, but as I thought on this statement, I understood the truth of it. And I saw again, as I’ve seen so often, the overwhelming goodness of God as He looks after and is involved in even the most intricate details of our lives.Early spring on the river
Lately, I have wanted to understand better what Jesus meant when he said in John 7:37-38, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Verse 39 tells us, “Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive.”
When Jesus taught, he used examples of things that people were familiar with. To fishermen, He used fishing analogies. For those who planted crops, we find teachings on sowing and reaping. For those who tended herds, Jesus showed himself to be the good shepherd. As I’ve considered the rivers of living water, aspects of what I know about the little river I’m fond of, and rivers in general, come to mind.
First of all, I see that rivers appear all through the Bible. From the river that went out of Eden to water the garden and became four riverheads, all the way to the last chapter of Revelation where the river of life proceeds from the throne of God, rivers play an important role in God’s dealings with mankind.
Rivers create natural boundaries between one land and another. Often the means of exploring new territories is by way of the rivers. In this land that is now the United States of America, centuries ago, explorers traveled the rivers to uncharted areas. Outposts were established along the way so that supplies could be transported. The rivers were the means of access to the new frontier. Today, rivers continue to aid in the shipping of goods and resources. They also provide the life-giving water to irrigate dry lands, in some cases causing the desert to bloom. Nutrients and sediments are carried downstream, and where these are deposited, the land is made fertile.
Rivers are unstoppable. Man has tried to control or slow them down, but at some point, the river will always find a way to break through.
As I think of the attributes of rivers in the natural world, I begin to imagine what God wants to accomplish by rivers of living water flowing from our hearts. By many different means and ways, God wants us to bring His much needed help to a desperate world.
The little river that flows here has been a ‘constant’ in my life. It’s always been there, for generations unknown. In ways it’s unchanging; it’s also always new; it’s never the same water flowing under the bridge. It’s fed by unseen springs, continually pouring forth fresh water. Even in the coldest depths of winter when ice covers the surface, if you listen closely, you can hear the quiet, bubbly rush of the song of the river, and you can be assured that the river flows on. Acts 2:17 & 21 reads, “In the last days… God declares, I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; … and it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Never before have we needed the rivers of living waters flowing forth from each one of us as we do today. Let us seek to be the channels of blessing that God designed us to be. Let’s let the river flow!
