The vision shows water issuing from under the temple threshold and moving eastward, beginning as a trickle and becoming a mighty river that brings life wherever it goes; this image insists that the source of true renewal is the sanctuary of God and that what is received there is meant to flow outward into the desert places of the world. The river’s growth despite no tributaries underscores that the life comes from God's presence alone, not human resources, and invites confidence that the source will not run dry. Receive the conviction that the living water you are given is intended for others as much as for you. [02:14]
Ezekiel 47:1-12 (ESV)
1 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.
2 Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side.
3 Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured one thousand cubits and led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep.
4 Again he measured one thousand and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured one thousand and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep.
5 Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.
6 And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he led me back to the bank of the river.
7 As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other.
8 And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah and enters the sea; when the water flows into the sea the waters will become fresh.
9 And wherever the river goes every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.
10 Fishermen will stand beside the sea; from En-gedi to En-eglaim they will be spreading their nets; their fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.
11 But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt.
12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.
Reflection: Where in your life do you need to stop hoarding the living water and intentionally let it flow toward a dry place this week? What specific next step will you take to carry God’s presence outward (a visit, a prayer, a conversation, a practical act of service)?
The New Testament picture of the river from God’s throne echoes Ezekiel: a life-giving stream that flows through the renewed city, bearing fruit month by month and leaves for healing the nations; this reinforces that God’s restorative purposes are global, ongoing, and personal. The imagery invites hope that restoration and abundance are not occasional miracles but the steady work of God’s presence among His people. Trust that God’s life-giving flow turns dead places into sources of sustenance and healing. [24:31]
Revelation 22:1-2 (ESV)
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Reflection: Identify one “dead” place (a relationship, a habit, a ministry area) that you will entrust to God’s ongoing, monthly provision instead of trying to revive it by your own strength — what measurable, faith-filled step will you take to invite God’s river there this week?
The prophetic picture emphasizes that when a place is set apart for God’s purposes, His kabod—the manifest glory—returns and fills it; holiness is not legalism here but a devoted attention to entrances and exits, what is permitted in and what is cast out. The warning is gentle and urgent: a sanctified place can become profaned again, so watch what you let into your heart, home, marriage, and church. Keep practices and boundaries that preserve the space where God’s presence can dwell. [08:09]
Ezekiel 43:4-5 (ESV)
4 And the glory of the LORD came into the temple by the gate facing east.
5 The Spirit took me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple.
Reflection: What is one small but concrete "entrance" in your life (a habit, a screen, a relationship boundary) that you will guard or change so that God's glory can be welcomed and remain in that space?
Jesus promises that whoever believes in him will have rivers of living water flowing out from within, meaning the Holy Spirit equips believers to be conduits of life to others; this is not a call to self-generated ministry but to yieldedness to the Spirit. The image challenges any notion that the church’s gifts are for consumption only; instead, faith produces an outward-moving current that refreshes deserts and revives dead seas. Pray for boldness to let the Spirit move through you into the hard places entrusted to your life. [24:31]
John 7:37-38 (ESV)
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.
38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
Reflection: Name one specific "desert" (a person, a neighborhood, a broken system) you will begin to pray for and engage with this month; what practical, Spirit-led action will you commit to that will allow God’s river to flow there through you?
Jesus contrasts temporary wells with the living water he gives: what he offers removes perpetual thirst and becomes a spring welling up to eternal life, a healing source that transforms inner dryness into ongoing vitality. This invitation exposes where you might be drinking from appearances, achievements, or other wells that never satisfy; repentance and reorientation toward Christ restore true nourishment. If you do not yet know him personally, this is the moment to turn from false wells and drink. [27:51]
John 4:13-14 (ESV)
13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,
14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Reflection: What is one “wrong well” you will stop approaching this week (an idol, a habit, a source of approval), and what concrete practice will you replace it with to draw from Jesus’ living water (a prayer rhythm, a gospel reading plan, a community confession)?
In Advent, I invited us into Ezekiel’s vision of a river flowing from the temple—water that begins as a trickle under the threshold by the altar, then moves east into the wilderness and the Dead Sea. We paid attention to where the water starts and where it’s headed: from God’s presence, past the place of sacrifice, out toward the most desolate and “dead” places. That’s not water meant to be hoarded inside sacred walls; it’s living water meant to move through us for the sake of the world. God cares about the details—what we let in and what we send out—because a space once sanctified can be compromised again. So we guard the entrances and exits of our hearts, homes, marriages, and church.
Ezekiel sees the river deepen—ankle, knee, waist—until it’s too deep to cross. Amazingly, it grows without tributaries. Its strength is its source. It descends from Jerusalem’s height all the way down to the lowest place on earth, the Dead Sea, bringing life where life cannot survive. The miracle is not only that deserts bloom and fishermen spread their nets where no fish could live, but that the very composition of the water changes: salty becomes fresh; death yields to life.
Scripture’s story converges here: the garden’s rivers, the psalmist’s glad stream, Revelation’s river of life, and Jesus’ promise that rivers of living water will flow from those who believe. The question becomes personal: Where are the dead seas in us—prayer gone cold, hunger for the Word dulled, conscience numbed, appetites ruling, obedience delayed? Some of us are experiencing a good exhaustion from pouring ourselves out in Christ’s service, yet easily restored by Sabbath and worship. Others carry a bad exhaustion—worthy callings but an empty reservoir. The invitation is to repent of drinking from the wrong wells and reconnect to the Source who never runs dry.
From the altar in the vision to the river from Calvary, grace begins as a trickle and becomes a flood of redemption. Where this river flows, everything lives. This is our hope and our calling in this Restore season: to be a people so connected to Jesus that life flows through us into the lowest places of our city and world.
why because of its source it starts in the sanctuaryfrom under the threshold of the sanctuary and it passed the south side of the altar by the inner court down out the east gate down towards the dead sea it it it's from god's presence from the place of sacrifice at the altar and out into the world i heard about a river everything it touches comes alive i heard about a man jesusi heard about a man jesus everything he touches comes alive [00:23:51] (55 seconds) #LivingWatersBringLife
lord we're reminded todayas we prepare to come and take communion that there's another river there's another river that flows from calvary and that river started when that soldier put that spear in your side and when your blood flowed it began as just a trickle but as it continued to flow it became a rivera river of redemption for a lost and hopeless world [00:32:43] (45 seconds) #RiverOfRedemption
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