Rivers of living water will flow from within them.
Nicky Gumbel, pastor of HTB church in London, once shared a story about a church member who worked in the library of a major national newspaper. This newspaper kept files of old cuttings about every well-known person. The files were kept in rows of long shelves, separated into ‘living people’ and ‘dead people’.
One day, the young man was looking through the files of dead people and came across a large file marked ‘Jesus Christ’. He glanced over his shoulder to check that no one was looking and quickly moved the file from the ‘dead people’ section to the ‘living people’ section.
I love this story because it’s so true: Jesus is alive and we serve a living God!
He even has a name to highlight this fact: El-Chayim–the Living God.
In Psalms 42:1-2 NIV David cries out to the Living God:
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God [=El-Chayim]. When can I go and meet with God? '
It reminds me of John 7:37-38 NIV where Jesus declared that He is the one who provides living water.
Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” – John 7:37-38
Not only do we serve El Chayim – the Living God – but He is among us (Joshua 3:10) and through Jesus, He gives us Living Water, meaning the Holy Spirit, so that we will never have to thirst again for all eternity (John 4:13 and John 7:39)!
Thank You, Lord, that You are alive and that we can be alive in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
