Song Time: "The River" (2002)

"The River"
Chris Tomlin

 When I was held up in chains
The river was free
When I was covered in stains
The river was clean
When I was losing my way
The river found me

I can see the river
I can feel the river
I'm letting go of all I hold onto
Let it wash away

When we were broken inside
The river was love
When we were thirsty and dry
You were more than enough
When we were drowning in lies
The river saved us

I'm dancing in the river
And I'll be here forever
I'm letting go of everything but You
Carry me away

Carry me away...
 

 

So, I was at Roxbury Holiness Camp last week, and the morning speaker on Saturday brought this song to mind as I listened.  He had talked about holiness, and how it affects us, the previous day.  He said that we must spend time with God to become more like Him, though our association with Him.  We must communicate with God on a highly regular basis and just "hang out"/tarry with Him; the more time spent in God's presence, the holier we will become.  The pastor's sermon on this morning was even deeper...

He directed us to an obscure passage in the midst of Ezekiel, that talked about a vision received by the prophet.  As we read the passage, I was not initially sure what was going to be discussed, and wow was it pertinent to life.  The Scripture was from chapter 47 verses 1-6. Looking at this recorded vision shows the connect to and meaning of this song.

Notice that the river in the passage comes from the Temple (the Dwelling Place of the Most High God) and represents His will and presence.  If you interpret the message of the vision, without looking later in the chapter, you will see the need for us to step out into the deep, into the fullness of God's mercy, grace, and direction. Ezekiel followed the man into the depths as he measured the distance from the relative "safety" of the shore/bank. 

Each of the first three measurements took the prophet to a place in the river where he could securely stand on his own, remaining connected to the bank and shoreline.  It surely was more difficult to stand as the water was deeper and deeper and the swiftness increased.  Greater trust was either placed in the firmness of the riverbed, or the flow of the river.  Remaining grounded in the mud, does not disqualify us from God's grace, as we enter it when we step into the river of his provision and guidance.  Entering is a good first step, but as we become mature Christians, we must experience a greater fulfillment of God's mercy as we spend more time in the presence of His Holy Spirit.  However, there is a time in which we must relinquish self-determination and self-reliance and Fully Rely on God, by letting go of all we hold onto, and stepping into the unreachable depths of the ever-flowing river.

There is a point in our lives, both mental and spiritual, when we reach the place to give up control of every part of our being.  This part may come once; it may occur many times.  The decision may be hard or easy; it takes trust and commitment, but mostly trust.  Allowing the presence of God to be all around us, in us, and through us, will give us more than enough.  We just need to be willing to let go of the shoreline, launch out into the deep and fully trust in God's deliverance and provision.  We may not know where the flow of the river will take us, what will occur in our lives, but we are told not to worry. (Matthew 6:25-34)  God will take care of us.

The choice should not be difficult, but our desire to stay connected with the world and our sinful nature prevents total commitment to God's holy will.  Our God is always with us, in spite of our connection with what he hates (sin); He will reach out to you until you plunge into the uncrossable, unfathomable depths of his mercy, grace, and love.  The peace and tranquility of the fullness of God can be felt when we "flow with the go" of the mighty river flowing from the presence of God.  His will is good, pleasing, and perfect (Romans 12:1-2).  It is then that you will be surrendered to the direction of his way, to make you what you ought to be.  Step into the ever-flowing, ever-changing river of God's divine, omnipotent presence.

 

Oh, let us launch out on this ocean so broad,
Where floods of salvation o’erflow;
Oh, let us be lost in the mercy of God,
Till the depths of His fullness we know.

Prayer Redux

So this last week was Roxbury Holiness Campmeeting.  As much as I want to talk about the fullness of my week, it is best that I wait until I have had time to more fully understand those words spoken in the many sessions.  One thing that I do understand is that the power of prayer is how God moves. I have desired to attend a full week of Camp for awhile now, and participate in the prayer team.

The Prayer team meets twice a day during camp, at 830 and at 1800, to pray for the entire camp and reflect the importance of prayer both during the week and after our time there.  Everyday many people attended the prayer services to pray for the camp:  the speakers, the director, the attenders, the staff, and most importantly the guiding of the Holy Spirit.  It is that dedication to prayer and thanksgiving that has made the Camp a place where people meet God and find his direction.

I cannot say that I received that direction fully, but I can say that this past week has given me a deeper appreciation for the need to talk to God, and one prayer time, after Saturday evening service, has renewed my faith in the next generation of Christians, although I am still not sure I can worship with them, but that is a different story.

In my last blog post, I noted that prayer has three main parts.  Giving little coverage to the importance of being thankful to God.  In our times of petition, we should not really "demand" things of God; asking is not always the best way either.  Instead, we should thank God that he is going to fulfill his will in each of our lives.  We must know that he is willing to allow the Holy Spirit to work in mysterious ways, and we must thank Him for his omnipotence and omniscience in answering our prayers.

One of the evening sessions of prayer was spent with this idea in mind, that we must thank God for what he will do.  He is beyond awesome, he knows what we need, and when we offered our meager thanks for his effective working, the moving of the Holy Spirit, and the touching of hearts to hear God's voice, boy did He answer.  We placed our trust in God to work according to his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13) and that he could affect each life in the Camp and outside.  His incomparable glory was shown each day after in an even more powerful way.

The next morning we all prayed around the alter of the Main Tabernacle, in the seats, and on the platform for the service, and God continued his incredible work.  People came offering their lives in service to God, their wholeness for his holiness, and their actions for his purpose.  The speakers spoke words given by God and the services were directed by the Spirit that walked the aisles and pew-rows.  Many more continued to flow toward the front each evening and even in the afternoon sessions.  A number made first-time commitments to allow God control in their lives, more came to rededicate their lives, and some came for further grace. 

I sat on the center-front pew for ever service and witnessed the full alter every night.  I saw the prayer warriors being directed by the Spirit of the Lord:  how to pray, for whom to pray, what to pray for, and when to sit in silence.  I sat in my bench crying out to God in prayer and asking for his work to be done in the hearts of those that approached the alter.  Many souls found liberty, guidance, and direction as they fell to their knees before God.  This action was happening before we had this "thanks-focused" prayer time.  It was humbling to be a part of it.

My point in this description, is not to bring glory to the Camp and to uphold the ability of the speaker, but rather to show the affectiveness of God when we give up control and allow him to work. We can fill the earth with glorious testimony when we seek His face and allow God's will to be done.  God is great and he does marvelous things.  It is easy to pray in thanksgiving for what God had done, but it is much harder to thank him for what he will do.  We must always remember to have a Spirit of adoration and thanks as we come to converse with God.  He will hear and answer prayers.



My personal testimony is of this holds true.  I mentioned that I sat in the front for each service and prayed during each alter-call.  On Saturday evening, I was in intense prayer for a personal friend and prayer team member, and had paused from praying to gather my thoughts, and I felt a tap on my shoulder ask someone asked if she could pray for me. Needless to say, I said yes, and a teenager stepped around the corner and sat next to me.  She commented on seeing me worship and pray and started praying for me.  Saying how she saw in me a passion for God's work, a desire to serve and live for God, and a love for people...boom, not just welling up with tears, but a stream built up.  She continued to pray, but I have no idea what it was about, until she stopped and asked for a specific request.  Sadly embarrassment kicked in, and I did not ask for a deep, hidden request.  I instead asked her to pray for my future and a job.  But wow, she prayed a powerful prayer in humility before God, asking with expectation.

She just sat with me for a time after, in silence, as what she had done sunk in.  The Spirit of God had moved in her, and a greater work than she understood, began in me.  I did find out her name, and that she was leaving the next day, but she went off to pray for another before I could chat with her more, and thank Hannah Murray.  I saw her talking and praying with another girl later, but never got the chance to talk that night, sad that I would not see her again, unless she was at prayer the next day. 

Although she didn't make it, I managed, by the grace of God, to get in the lunch line with her(Sunday lunch lines are looong at Roxbury)!  I was able to find out more about her and thank her officially.  I didn't tell her all that her prayer meant to me, but I was able to relay it through our conversation.  As we ate, I even found out about her trouble narrowing her decision about future plans.  We finished lunch and I offered to reciprocate her action, and pray for her.  I am not sure I was as affective, in touching her heart, as she was with her prayer, but I do know that she left joyfully.  I may not ever see her again (at least until next year), but I do know we had a positive encounter with God both times.

That encounter, along with the word of God given by the speakers, has renewed my faith in the next generation and brought about other mental changes. I know I am not fully sanctified to God, I have not fully entrusted my whole life to God, and my prayer time, is going to improve.  My desire to serve others has strongly increased.  My resolutions, as going to be a success, I a going to have better communion with God, and my prayers will thank him for what He has done, what God is doing, and what He will do in/with my life.  I am starting again, on the personal level, but thanks to God prompting a young girl to pray for me, positive changes will take place.  Praise be to God!  My soul has been awakened.