Rivers of Life

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. John 7:38


Deep inside each of us, there is a river of life. This river is a wonderful gift given to each of us by God. It refreshes, renews and revitalizes our lives. I'm sure all of us have known people from time to time who defied all logic and stayed alive years longer than they should have. Or you may have known people who have been able to keep a positive outlook on life even though terrible things happened to them. Their river ran strong and did not stop flowing.

On the other hand, there are those who always seem to be down, whether physically or emotionally. No matter what they do, they can't seem to “snap out of it.” Their river has been stopped-up, and only a little trickle seems to pass through.

God places this river in every one of us. It flows with good health, a positive, generous and forgiving attitude. Ideally, this river flows freely through us. When we allow this flow and keep our well from getting plugged-up, there's a peace or an ease and everything seems easier. Good things come our way. When wonderful opportunities are presented to us, we're ready to seize them.

Many people, however, have allowed their well to become stopped-up. Years of neglect have caused the river, which used to flow powerfully, to become choked down to just a small stream. Everything is hard—nothing comes easy. People with a stopped-up well have to strive for things that come easily to others. It's as if they've become mired in quicksand and every step is a struggle. Does this sound like your life, or the life of someone you know?

There have been times that I have struggled to tap into the river that I knew was in me. I was constantly digging dry wells—working on projects and chasing ideas that were disappointing and not of God. I believed that if I could just make something work, I would be happy; I would find peace and fulfillment. I would try to make things or opportunities work, but never found the peace I was looking for. I found that over the years I had allowed my well to become stopped-up with “stones” and “debris.” The river no longer flowed freely, and I was miserable.

Although I didn't realize it at the time, I really struggled with issues like anger, selfishness, offense and disobedience. These issues became like dirt and debris that had caused my river of life, or my well, to become stopped-up. With God's help, I am dealing with these issues one by one in my life. It's been a long process, but the dirt and debris has been reduced. My river of life has a much stronger current now.

Are you tired of your life being dry, a river without direction? Are you weary of having to strive for everything in life? Just remember, until you clean out your river or well, everything will be difficult and unfulfilled. No matter what you try, you'll be unable to taste the water from that river. And that water satisfies like nothing else.

Make a choice today to stop spending your life fighting, struggling and trudging through the mud with every step. Stop dwelling on what you've lost, and take a good look at what God has blessed you with. Ask Him to help you clear out the trash in your well. Only then can you begin to enjoy the river of life!

Father, Thank You for the river of life that you have placed inside of each of Your children! Help us to keep our well clean, free of trash and debris that the world and all its trappings can place in us. Teach us to turn to You and Your Word for solutions to our problems, knowing that Your wisdom is much more able than our own. Thank You for the gift of salvation through Your Son, Who promises us that our rivers of life are possible only through a commitment to Him! In His name we pray~Amen