"Ride the River"

They said go ride the river,

And you’ll find out it’s true,

The water there can heal you,

It’s just what you should do.

So can’t say I believed it,

But I thought what the heck,

Prolly can’t do any harm,

So I’ll saddle up and check.

It was pretty by the river,

A breeze blew through the trees,

You could almost feel the difference,

And smell the scent of peace.

Looked liked I trotted slower,

Eased down to a walk,

And a stillness in the moment,

Made me want to talk,

To my Father, the Creator,

The One whom I had wronged,

With all my wild rebelliousness,

But still to Him belonged.

And there beside the river,

The Good Lord came to me,

There was no condemnation,

His love meant I could be,

Forgiven of the worst things,

And all that I regret,

And have a new beginning,

But even better yet,

He said the Holy Spirit,

Would blow off every lid,

And let me tell you, brother,

That’s just what He did.

I came back from the river,

They said they saw a change,

Some folks didn’t like it,

They thought I acted strange.

But I have a new normal,

And I have come to see,

That living life for Jesus,

Is who I’m meant to be.

So, cowboy, if you’re struggling,

To try to sort things out,

Burdened by your guilt and shame,

And need relief, no doubt,

Just go ride the river,

And count on me to pray,

That you will find the grace of God,

Like I did on that day.

“Rivers of living water will flow from his heart…” (John 7:38, NLT)

Jesus offered what He called living water. He said two things about it. First, that it would quench our spiritual thirst, and two, that it would flow out of us like a river. John went on to say that Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person, not an “it.” But the Holy Spirit is uniquely described in scripture as water, wind, and flame. What a person He is! If we believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts and bodies. We become His temple. He meets the deepest longings of our inner self. But He also longs to fill us to overflowing so that people can be touched by His power. Water can be mesmerizing, whether it’s a lake, pond, ocean, bubbling brook or river. But what is even more powerful is that the Holy Spirit moves in our lives like a mighty, powerful river. Ride the river.

Lord, quench our thirst and let Your living water flow through us, in Jesus. name.

Art by Tim Cox, timcox.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.