Rising Waters

 ~~~ Ezekiel 47: 1-9, 12 ~~~ Psalm 46 ~~~ John 5:1-16 ~~~

 

 

Living along the coast, I have learned the real danger of flash flooding.

When the water begins to rise you often do not

have the time to evacuate.

The quickly rising water can pose a life threatening

danger in a matter of minutes.

 

Ezekiel is being led little be little, step by step
 into deeper and deeper waters.

An angel is leading the prophet on this journey,

but his anxiety level was surely increasing.

 

The water was flowing out of the temple.

It was not like walking into a river or a stream.

The water was rising.

With each step the water goes from ankle deep to waist deep;

clearly it was getting deeper.

 

Until finally the water was so deep Ezekiel had to swim.

It was the angel that brought him safely to the bank of the river.

 

This is water imbued with power from God.

This water is rich with life producing qualities.

This water has the power to change salt water into fresh water.

This water flows right from God himself.

The giver of life created this water to continue his creative life giving quality.

Now God uses this water as a sign of his ability

to bring forth new and abundant life.

The power of God remains with us...he is in the water...

thus it is the living water.

 

 

When the essence of God is present one does not need

to enter into the water to be healed.

The desire of the heart makes the healing possible.

 

"Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool
when the water is stirred up;
while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.”

 

The desire to be healed was burning inside of this man.

Jesus answered the silent prayer of the man to be healed.

Jesus proved to this man, who had been ill for thirty eight years,

healing is possible even on the Sabbath.

 

What desires are in your heart that you have yet to verbalize?

Just the act of carrying your bed roll was a violation of the Sabbath

 much less healing a person in front of the enforcers of the law. 

 

This was once again too much blasphemy for the Jews.

They believed the observing the law was the most important one could do.