Read Psalm 46:4-7
God is our Refuge, so we need not fear. But He is also our River, so we need not faint. "There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High" (v. 4).
Until I visited the Holy Land, I had no idea how critical water is there. Without water almost nothing can exist there. Jerusalem is one of the great ancient cities that was not founded on a river. It wasn't until Hezekiah dug his famous tunnel that Jerusalem had a water source within the city walls. The psalmist says here that though Jerusalem is not situated beside a river, it has a River. And it comes from the Holy Place, from the throne of God. "God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn" (v. 5).
Our Lord said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink" John 7:37). The rivers of Living Water, the rivers of joy, flow out from His throne. In the Bible, water for washing is a picture of the Word of God. But water for drinking is a picture of the Spirit of God. We may drink from this hidden River. And because we drink at this River, we have the joy, the refreshment and the empowerment of the Lord.
The psalmist continues, "The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge" (v. 7). He is the Lord of the armies. All the armies of heaven and earth belong to the Lord Jesus Christ because He has all authority. He is with us, not against us. He is Immanuel, "God with us."
Take time to drink at the River. Let God refresh you and restore you and strengthen you for the day.
Hidden resources are as critical to spiritual well-being as they are to physical well-being. If you want to work and not faint, you must depend on God's provisions. His people have the Holy Spirit within them to refresh and strengthen them. When you drink from the rivers of water He provides, you find strength and the joy of the Lord.
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