God Uses the Streams

Psalm 46:4a  (ESV)

“There is a river whose STREAMS make glad the city of God…”

Last week I shared with you some thoughts about the national youth gathering.  I would like to continue along that strain with some thoughts generated in my mind by the second morning Bible study at the Gathering.  We were looking at the middle four verses of Psalm 46 – talking about the river that makes glad the city of God.  As I listened, the realization struck me that it’s the streams of the river that “make glad the city of God.”  At first I got this image all wrong – thinking about how the river (perhaps Jesus or God’s Word or God’s grace) flows into the streams – all of us who are his people.  The problem with that is - rivers don’t flow into streams.  Streams flow into rivers.  So, I sat there during this Bible study searching on google for information about streams and wondering – what is the Psalmist telling us?

Well think about how this works in nature.  The water comes down in snow and rain. The snow melts and the rain flows into the streams. The streams carry the water to the rivers.  The rivers carry the water to the oceans.  Apply that metaphor to us.   God gives His “rain” – His grace to us in Jesus Christ, in word and sacrament.  That grace creates faith in our hearts.  We as God’s newly created streams carry that grace into all the world – the places where we live and work and play.  Along the way God works through the word of grace we share with the world… the water of life – He

works to created faith in more and more hearts… until the stream becomes and river… the river of life and carries us into the vast ocean of God’s kingdom.

Now I don’t know about you, but that works for me.  We are God’s streams grace, reaching into many lives with His love, bringing with us more and more people to Jesus, the river of life and into His kingdom.  That’s our calling… that’s the mission we have been given.  We are God’s streams and God uses us to “make glad the city of God.’

But then I started to think about all the times we have driven through the pan handle of Texas on our way to Colorado.  There are all sorts of streams out there. Most years they are bone dry because most years there just isn’t enough rain.  This year those streams were all full – because there has been plenty of rain. 

The thought struck me – Am I a dry stream?  Sometimes.   But it’s not because God is not supplying enough water.  IN His word, at church, in youth group at worship God is constantly pouring down the living water of His grace into our lives.  If I am a dry stream, it’s because I am neglecting God’s means of grace in my daily life.  How much better it is when God is filling you and me up daily with His grace and forgiveness through word and sacrament.  Then He is able to use us to bring that water of life to all around us… That’s how we become, in the Spirit’s hands, the streams that make glad the city of God.  Amen.