It is easy to walk on dry land, but the flow of the river makes it difficult to walk. When the water is up to the ankles, we can still walk, but it is not very convenient. When the water is up to the knees, it is more difficult to walk. When the water is up to the loins, it is very difficult to walk. This indicates that before we enjoy the grace of the Lord as the flow, we are able to do whatever we like. When we experience the Lord’s flow only in a shallow way, we can still walk by our own effort. But when the flow becomes deeper, reaching up to the knees, walking becomes much more difficult. We have grace, but the amount of grace we have is not sufficient, so we continue to exercise our own effort.
As the flow increases, it bothers, restricts, and frustrates us. When the flow of grace rises higher, to the loins, this is the hardest time to be a Christian. Our situation becomes quite awkward. For example, on the one hand, we may have enough grace to make it difficult for us to lose our temper; on the other hand, we may not have enough grace to overcome our temper. We have grace, but we still need to exercise our own effort. This is a dilemma. The river of grace is with us, but it is not deep enough. But once the flow of grace becomes so deep that we cannot pass over, we will praise the Lord and begin to swim in the river. As we swim, we will no longer try to stand on our feet. Instead, we will abandon our self-effort and begin to swim in the river.
The less grace we receive from the Lord, the more we need to use our own strength. But when we receive an abundance of grace, we no longer need to use our own strength. Instead, we cease from our self-effort and allow the flow of the river to carry us along. As we are carried along in this way, we can easily follow the Lord and let Him lead us wherever He wants us to go.
I am concerned that many among us have not yet given up their self-effort but are still trying to stand up on their own. They continue to struggle in their efforts to stand on their feet. This means that they are exercising their own effort to be an overcomer. Those who are in such a situation need to realize that they need more grace. They need a deeper flow so that they will give up trying to stand and instead will swim in the river. The best way for us to swim in the river is to put our trust in the flow of the river, forget our own efforts, and let the flow carry us along. When we receive the abundance of grace, this is our experience.
Although the grace is sufficient, we still need to go along with the flow of the Lord’s grace. When we are being carried along by the river, we should not try to have our own direction. We should forsake our direction and move in the direction of the flow. However, the flow may be in one direction, but our intention is to move in the opposition direction. For this reason, the Lord often has problems with us.
Where the river flows, everything shall live and be full of life (Ezek. 47:9). This river is the river of life, and only life can cause things to live. Mere teachings and gifts are not important here, because they cannot impart life. Ezekiel does not say that everything shall know or that everything shall exercise gifts; he says that where the river comes everything shall live.
In this flow the trees live and bear sweet, delicious fruit every month (v. 12). Also, the water brings forth an abundance of fish (v. 9). Cattle are implied by the names of two cities—Engedi and Eneglaim (v. 10). Engedi means “the fountain of the lamb,” and Eneglaim means “the fountain of two calves.” These fountains are for the young cattle, the lambs and the calves. From all this we see that the flow of the river produces trees, fish, and cattle.
In the proper church life there are many trees producing fruit, and thus there is no lack of fruit. If the church in your locality is living, there will be trees bearing fruit. Trees producing fruit are an indication that there is a flow in your church. The trees grow by the living water. If there is a flow in your local church, there surely will be the trees bearing an abundance of fruit.
With the flowing of the river, there is also fishing (v. 10). Fishing signifies the increase in numbers. If the number of people in your local church does not increase year after year, this means that there is no fishing, and no fishing means that there is no flow. If we would have fishing, we must have the flow. We need a place to cast out and spread our net. We need fishing in order to have an increase in numbers.
In the church life we also need some fountains of lambs and fountains of calves for feeding. Thus, we need food, we need the increase in numbers, and we need the feeding. This will bring in the mending, the building up. Oh, we need the trees, the fishing, and the fountains! All these matters depend on one thing—the flow of the river. Once again we see how much we need the flowing of the river of God.