Hi everyone. Rob here.
One of my favourite things this year has been walking beside the Waikato River that runs through my hometown of Hamilton, New Zealand. There is something so soothing and restorative about water, whether it be rivers, lakes, oceans or waterfalls, and my heart has needed that this year. As I was walking yesterday I was drawn to the spot in the river where the current was swift and steady. There are other parts that are turbulent, forming eddies and cross-currents. Other parts are slow, almost stationery, particularly in the shallows. The swift and steady current was right in the middle of the river. I knew what God was saying: “That’s where you need to be.”
God was talking to me about the river of life, spoken about in Revelation 22:1,
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
I pictured this river of God’s life, love and will flowing through history. Over the centuries people have tried to go against the flow. Others have stayed in the shallows, not going anywhere. Others are on the banks of the river as life passes them by. God’s invitation is for us to throw caution to the wind, jump right into the middle and give ourselves over to the current of God’s life, love and will. Let me correct that. It only has the appearance of throwing caution to the wind. It is actually the safest move you can make.
This is because God’s future is the only future there is. All other options stand in opposition to that. So the best move we can make is to surrender ourselves to the life, love and will of God as revealed through his Son and our Lord and brother, Jesus. As John Eldredge said at a recent Boot Camp,
The safest place is all in
God is urging this on me and my family at the moment. We’ve all noticed that half measures don’t get us very far and, in fact, leave us vulnerable to accusation, confusion and sin. When we’re all in, fully surrendered, there is more clarity and more purpose. It reinforces to me that you can’t do God’s will unless we do it God’s way. Most if us try and do God’s will our way and wonder why things don’t work out so well. We play around in the shallows, or turn our rudder against the current , because it seems more comfortable there. But we need to be in the flow. God is at work and he wants us on board as he works. We get to be part of it!
Yes, it’s scary. You need to travel light. You can’t be weighed down by unnecessary burdens and baggage when you’re going with the flow. So we need healing for our wounds, freedom in our minds and hearts and a focused desire for the kingdom of God. I’m in. Come join me.
Grace and peace.
Brand New Heart Ministries 