"There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most high. God is in the midst of her; shall not be moved: God shall help her and that right early."
Psalm 46:4-5
We have come to understand the true meaning of the "River of God." It is that divine expression of the power and grace of God that flows throughout God's eternal kingdom. Jesus said, "Out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water...this spake he of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive..." (John 7:38-39).
The Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom that dwells within the hearts of God's people. Deep within each of us is a force stronger than any natural force known to man. It is this mighty force that we have come to know as the Divine Holy Spirit. He is the one who brings alive the river of God.
Churches that have let the Holy Spirit have his way find that this river begins to flow until it releases the forces of heaven. When the river takes over a church body it literally changes everything. The sovereign hand of God begins to compel it to abandon its own agenda until it finds itself in the center of God's divine will and plan. God is calling every one of us to drink deep of the Spirit of God until this mighty river can no longer be contained within the four walls of our churches.
Many of God's people are hungering for more of the river of God. They want their banks to overflow with the power and presence of Almighty God. Jesus said, "If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink..." (John 7:37). Though this river flows deep within us as water within our soul, it is only those who thirst for it that experience all that it has to offer. This river is what makes our hearts full of joyful praise. If it is to make glad the city of God, then surely it can make glad the house of God!
The call of God is for all of us to seek the river; to build our lives along its banks, and to draw our nourishment from its supply.
Revelations chapter twenty-two says, "And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Rev. 22:1). The River of God is the most satisfying quality of God's life. It brings a divine refreshing to everything it touches. God's heart is in this river. When you begin to experience the river, you are beginning to experience God's heart. There is nothing more that pleases God's heart than for his people to plunge deep into this river of living water. The prophet Ezekiel even prophesied that this mighty river would rise to levels that are beyond the control of man, filled with healing virtue (Ezek. 47: 1-5).
God's river is a stream of revival. It is what governs the holy things of God. It is pure and unerring. The moment you step into the river of God you come under its cleansing effect. There are three mighty truths that come as a result of the river of God flowing in your life: preparation, separation, and transformation. Preparation is a place of readiness. It is in the river that God molds and makes us suitable for service. It is a place of equipping and furnishing for everything we need to fulfill God's purpose on our lives. God will put things together and construct our lives for supernatural service once we surrender to this divine flow with a willing and ready heart.
It is also a place of separation. John the Baptist's ministry came for two reasons. One was to prepare the way of the Lord-to make ready the hearts of men for the Anointed One, and to draw a line between the living truths of God from a system that had failed to bring an end to the consciousness of sin. In Isaiah forty, God sets forth the ministry of John. It states in its declaration of his message that he was to make straight in the desert a highway for our God. When Christ, the Messiah came, he brought an end to the Old Covenant by establishing a New Covenant with the house of Judah (Jer. 31:31-34, Heb. 8:8-13). This created a divine separation between those who continued to hold on to an old orthodoxy, which God was no longer in, and a new order controlled and maintained by the quickening power of God's Holy Spirit.
The third thing this river brings is a transformation of our lives. Not only is the river of God a flowing brook of restoration, but it carries everything needed to bring healing and renewal. This mighty river of God, though invisible to the naked eye, is coursing its way through the whole earth. It has lifting, carrying, moving, drawing, steadying, overflowing, and invading power! It holds the treasures of our union with Christ. It brings changes to our lives where we are able to see an increase of his life and glory from one degree to another.
Just as any natural water supply seeks the lowest place, the river of God gravitates toward the humble in heart. It is only those who abandon themselves to serve Christ and Christ alone that this river finds its greatest expression. When our hearts are tender and yielded to the Lord, then we find ourselves standing in the path for this river to overtake us.
Like the rising river that overflows its borders and pours over the land, the river of God will one day flood the whole earth. Those who have willingly surrendered to its power will know firsthand its redemptive qualities. By bowing in reverent obedience to Christ's sovereign rule, the river of God will come upon us like a refreshing rain. Its power is like a mighty stream that can change us just as suddenly and dramatically as any cresting river can quickly overwhelm a community.*
The Revelation of Righteousness