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There I could see the stream flowing out through the south side of the east gateway. . . . At that point the water was up to my ankles. . . . This time the water was up to my knees. . . . It was up to my waist. . . . The river was too deep to cross without swimming. —Ezekiel 47:2-5
Ezekiel saw a vision of a river flowing eastward from the threshold of the temple. The river measured varying depths, and we can use this analogy to examine the level of our relationship with God. First, we may be splashing around in the shallow, “ankle-deep” water with God. Our goal may be just to follow the crowd and have a good time as long as it lasts! Hopefully, we decide to venture farther into the river and move into the “knee-deep” water. This gets us involved in the local church through regular attendance, prayer, and fellowship. Third, we may dare to wade deeper into the river. The “waistdeep” water involves areas such as commitment, Bible study, personal prayer, and discipline of character. The last area is water that is deep enough to swim in. We now come to the area of leadership and fulfilling life’s calling. This is the area of faith—the area where we are in water “over our heads” and totally dependent upon God. Some may be satisfied to simply splash around in the river of God, but you will never be truly satisfied until you fulfill your purpose. Dive in! The water is fine!
Suggested Reading:
Ezekiel 47:1-48:35
1 Peter 2:11-3:7
Psalm 119:49-64
Proverbs 28:12-13