There are times when I wake, that I wake up feeling very ‘little’, very ‘small’. There are mornings when I wake up feeling, even in those first moments of the day, like I dwell in the energy and the franetic-ness of Times Square in NYC.
And each morning I need to have God ‘make me lie down’ and He brings me to ‘green pastures’, but today to a river… He illuminated a verse I have always loved, Ps. 46:4. “There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God…”
Do you ever wake up feeling that your life is like a bustling city? “There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High God is in the midst of her;”
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High God was in the midst of the children of Israel, and THAT is where God dwelt THEN, and today the Bible says that those who believe on Him that the Father has sent, (yes, that ‘Him’ is Jesus), that WE are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in us. (1Cor. 3:16.)
Jesus declared,”If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink and out of his innermost being shall gush forth torrents of living water.” (John 7:37,38) But wait, why are we so thirsty Lord? Fill me Lord, Fill us Lord with Your Holy Spirit! How we need a filling of the ‘river whose streams make glad the city of God. ”God is in the midst of her; She shall not be moved.” There is a hymn that moves my feet right to the river:
“Shall we gather at the river, where bright angel feet have trod; With its crystal tide forever Flowing by the throne of God?”“Yes, we’ll gather at the river.The beautiful, the beautiful river. Gather with the saints at the river That flows by the throne of God.” (Shall We Gather at the River? Hymn by Robert Lowry, 1864).
Shall we gather at the river, even though we just got out of bed? Yes, in our minds, let Him take us, Oh Lord, transport us from the chaos of our thoughts and cause us to hear Your lovingkindness , to hear You speak, “Come to the waters and drink, for there is a river…God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.”
“On the margin of the river, Washing up its silver spray, We will walk and worship ever, All the happy golden day, “ (well, I think there are times when I would like to change the wording, so the verse actually reads, “We will walk and worship ever, even in the ‘hectic’ frantic day!)
Can you hear the voice of Jesus speaking to you personally, even today, calling out your name, calling out my name, “Come to the rivers of water and drink… ‘there is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, (and that) God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.”
Yes, we’ll gather at the river – sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, sinners young and sinners old-“Ere we reach the sining river, Lay we every burden down. Grace our spirits will deliver, And provide a robe and crown. Yes, we’ll gather at the river, The beautiful, the beautiful river. Gather with the saints at the river That flows by the throne of God.”
“Soon we’ll reach the shining river, Soon our pilgrimage will cease, Soon our happy heart will quiver With the melody of peace. Yes, we’ll gather at the river…”“There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.” (Ps. 46:4-6).
“The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah, (pause and think calmly of that!)“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah”(Ps. 46:10,11). (pause and think calmly of that).
Shall we gather at the river? Oh, yes, Oh yes, we find our peace in the midst of ‘hectic’ there – because ‘God is in the midst of her’,“Yes, we’ll gather at the river, The beautiful, the beautiful river, Gather with the saints at the river That flows by the throne of God.” (Robert Lowry, 1864).
Do you ever wake up feeling that your life is like a bustling city? “There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High God is in the midst of her;”
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High God was in the midst of the children of Israel, and THAT is where God dwelt THEN, and today the Bible says that those who believe on Him that the Father has sent, (yes, that ‘Him’ is Jesus), that WE are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in us. (1Cor. 3:16.)
Jesus declared,”If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink and out of his innermost being shall gush forth torrents of living water.” (John 7:37,38) But wait, why are we so thirsty Lord? Fill me Lord, Fill us Lord with Your Holy Spirit! How we need a filling of the ‘river whose streams make glad the city of God. ”God is in the midst of her; She shall not be moved.” There is a hymn that moves my feet right to the river:
“Shall we gather at the river, where bright angel feet have trod; With its crystal tide forever Flowing by the throne of God?”“Yes, we’ll gather at the river.The beautiful, the beautiful river. Gather with the saints at the river That flows by the throne of God.” (Shall We Gather at the River? Hymn by Robert Lowry, 1864).
Shall we gather at the river, even though we just got out of bed? Yes, in our minds, let Him take us, Oh Lord, transport us from the chaos of our thoughts and cause us to hear Your lovingkindness , to hear You speak, “Come to the waters and drink, for there is a river…God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.”
“On the margin of the river, Washing up its silver spray, We will walk and worship ever, All the happy golden day, “ (well, I think there are times when I would like to change the wording, so the verse actually reads, “We will walk and worship ever, even in the ‘hectic’ frantic day!)
Can you hear the voice of Jesus speaking to you personally, even today, calling out your name, calling out my name, “Come to the rivers of water and drink… ‘there is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, (and that) God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.”
Yes, we’ll gather at the river – sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, sinners young and sinners old-“Ere we reach the sining river, Lay we every burden down. Grace our spirits will deliver, And provide a robe and crown. Yes, we’ll gather at the river, The beautiful, the beautiful river. Gather with the saints at the river That flows by the throne of God.”
“Soon we’ll reach the shining river, Soon our pilgrimage will cease, Soon our happy heart will quiver With the melody of peace. Yes, we’ll gather at the river…”“There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.” (Ps. 46:4-6).
“The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah, (pause and think calmly of that!)“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah”(Ps. 46:10,11). (pause and think calmly of that).
Shall we gather at the river? Oh, yes, Oh yes, we find our peace in the midst of ‘hectic’ there – because ‘God is in the midst of her’,“Yes, we’ll gather at the river, The beautiful, the beautiful river, Gather with the saints at the river That flows by the throne of God.” (Robert Lowry, 1864).