Ezekiel 47:4-6

Ezekiel was only a little more than a mile from the *temple. (That is, about 2 kilometres.) But already the stream had become a river. It had not become a river because other streams had joined it. It became a river because God had done something wonderful. He had increased its size. And what God would achieve by means of this river would be even more wonderful.

Often, the *angel encouraged Ezekiel to go into the water. Ezekiel needed this experience. He needed to know its depth. And perhaps he also needed to feel the force of the water as it moved by him. In other words, Ezekiel needed to be aware of the power of God’s Holy Spirit.

People often depend on feelings. They want to feel something in order to know that it is true. Their attitude is wrong. We should trust God even when we do not feel confident. We cannot trust our feelings, because they change often. But we should always trust God.

However, sometimes God gives us experiences that help us. We should not refuse those experiences. Instead, like Ezekiel, we should let God work in his own way in our lives.

This river was astonishing. In the end, Ezekiel could not cross it. It was as if the power of God’s Holy Spirit was too great for Ezekiel. The *angel had to lead Ezekiel back to safety at the edge of the river. And the *angel told Ezekiel to look, and to learn, from his experience.