Dig Deeply

In June 2011, it was reported that excavators digging for a new railway station, deep under the surface of central Jerusalem, discovered what geologists say is the largest underground river ever found in Israel. “We found a nice, but small underground river.” Professor Amos Frumkin, head of the Cave Research Unit, of the Hebrew University’s Department of Geography, told The Media Line. “In terms of Israel, it’s the longest underground stream that we have ever seen. It is a kind of a canyon that has been cut by the stream of the water over a long period of time.”

Though Jerusalem has no river, for thousands of years there has been a legend, that deep down below the surface of the city of David, a river flowed. A river that no man could see, but one that flowed from the city of God. The Psalmist, in a time of trouble wrote, “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.” (Ps. 46:4-5, NKJV). This was the same metaphorical river that Jeremiah prophetically called the, “fountain of living waters.” (Jer. 2:13, NKJV). In his dramatic vision, Ezekiel saw a mighty river flowing out of the Temple in Jerusalem. Isaiah spoke of a joy that comes as we, “draw water from the wells of salvation.” (Isa. 12:3, NKJV).

Jesus, in speaking of the Holy Spirit filling said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38, NKJV). There is a river of life that is life itself. It’s not a river that brings life or produces life, but is life. This river flows from the heart of God into our hearts. It is a river that quenches our spiritual thirst. When we dig deeply through worship and prayer; when we open God’s Word, we can drink deeply from this river of God. It is life; it is joy; it is salvation.

The excavators may have found a literal river flowing from the ancient city of Jerusalem, but we can daily be spiritual excavators and find a river flowing from the heart of God. Dig deeply.

Digging,

Steve