“Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:38 ESV
When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem in Nehemiah 2:11, he did not tell anyone about his arrival or what he planned. His first task was to survey the walls and the destruction of the city's gates. One of the gates he visited was called the King's Pool, found in Nehemiah 2:14. Hezekiah created this pool around 750 BC. Hezekiah was a godly king who served the Lord. One of his accomplishments was a watering system for the city that he had carved by architects through the rock so Jerusalem could have water at all times. This was very important for the city's life because even when faced with a siege from their enemies, they still had water to live and sustain life. This watering conduit was built about 700 years before Jesus came and is still used today. You may remember when Jesus told the blind man to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam in John 9. This pool was the original King's Pool from the days of Hezekiah.
This King's Pool, vital to life-sustaining water for the city, is a picture of the life-sustaining water we have in us by the Holy Spirit. Our salvation and born-again life in Christ are meant to receive and move into a greater fullness and power in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings pools and even rivers of overflow to us that open us to new dimensions of living and experiencing the life of Jesus for His work and purpose in us. In John 7:37-38, Jesus spoke and referred to the Spirit coming forth like rivers of living water. "On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘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.'"
Our understanding of the Holy Spirit must reach beyond what He wants to do in us. Our understanding must include rivers that stretch and redirect our lives to the fullness of Jesus in us and the rebuilding that He desires. Recently my wife and I took a trip to the Grand Teton Mountains. We were getting ready to head to Yellowstone National Park the next day, but our plans suddenly changed. Yellowstone received overwhelming rain that caused flooding and even washed-out roads. The park was closed for weeks for repairs. One video I remember watching was a river redirected by a large amount of rain. A river was diverted and changed because of all the water passing through. Nothing would stop this large amount of water from changing the landscape. A new road had to be made because of the new direction of the river. This reminded me of what the Holy Spirit does in us. Rivers of living water change the direction of our life for us to be strengthened, healed, refreshed, able to resist spiritual attack and empower us for ministry. The rivers of living water Jesus referred to sustain us as we look at the brokenness and the destruction of our lives and give us the life-sustaining power we need to finish the job. We need to remain open to new directions that the Holy Spirit desires to take us. We must continually be in a position of worship, praise, and watching and praying to what the Spirit is doing.
[As adapted from The Bondage Breaker and Stomping Out The Darkness by Dr. Neil Anderson and Dr. Dave Park.]