Going Deeper

At my granddaughter, Lydia’s third birthday party, I watched as little children played on a water slide. They played and laughed, slid down the slide landing in water that came up to their ankles. Climbing high above the water, then sliding down again. Then, Lydia, wanted to get into the big people’s pool…she came running to me saying, “Grandma I want to get in the pool!” So, I told her we had to put her floaties on…it’s been a while since I put floaties on a child and they were different than what I remembered so we asked someone with experience, Jessica, a young mommy, to help her with them. Lydia had no fear, nothing was holding her back she went into the deep water…because she knew she had the help of her floaties to keep her afloat. Splashing and swimming all over the pool. Total abandonment of any danger, complete trust. That’s how our loving heavenly Father wants us to be. He wants us to go deeper with him knowing the Holy Spirit is like our floaties and we have nothing to fear! We can trust Him completely. This is my hearts cry… “Lord take me deeper. Take me to the place where you dwell. Let me bask in your presence in the Holy of holies. Let me live by your example of love toward others. No judgement…no prejudice…no fear…forgive my shortcomings and let me live out loud and show others who you are…my King! My Savior! Help me walk in obedience to your word. And Jesus, let me always, reverence your Holy Name! Amen!

~Marla Shaw O’Neill August 6, 2019

Ezekiel 47:1-12 MSG – Trees on Both Sides of the River

Now he brought me back to the entrance to the Temple. I saw water pouring out from under the Temple porch to the east (the Temple faced east). The water poured from the south side of the Temple, south of the altar. He then took me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the gate complex on the east. The water was gushing from under the south front of the Temple.

He walked to the east with a measuring tape and measured off fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water waist-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet. By now it was a river over my head, water to swim in, water no one could possibly walk through.
He said, “Son of man, have you had a good look?”

Then he took me back to the riverbank. While sitting on the bank, I noticed a lot of trees on both sides of the river.

He told me, “This water flows east, descends to the Arabah and then into the sea, the sea of stagnant waters. When it empties into those waters, the sea will become fresh. Wherever the river flows, life will flourish—great schools of fish—because the river is turning the salt sea into fresh water. Where the river flows, life abounds. Fishermen will stand shoulder to shoulder along the shore from En-gedi all the way north to En-eglaim, casting their nets. The sea will teem with fish of all kinds, like the fish of the Great Mediterranean.

“The swamps and marshes won’t become fresh. They’ll stay salty.

“But the river itself, on both banks, will grow fruit trees of all kinds. Their leaves won’t wither, the fruit won’t fail. Every month they’ll bear fresh fruit because the river from the Sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”