Rising Levels

“He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side. And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed.” – Ezekiel 47:2-5.
For a little bit of context, this is a vision of the temple with a river flowing out from it and a river flowing with healing waters. Each time the man crossed the river, the river rose to new levels and depth. What can this mean for us? As you go through your journey and life, you don’t start out on the top but as a seedling. Continuously growing through Christ, you grow into a sapling and then into a young tree until you reach a mature state. It is a fact that as one grows, they go onto bigger levels and greater steps. Therefore, if life is like a river going many places and taking many curves, as you go along it, it gets deeper. It is easy to stand firm on your own feet when it's only to your ankles, but when you go to the knees or perhaps the waist and the current hits your body, you begin to lose your foundation on your feet until the river is too deep to stand on your own foundation. At that point, you will have to let go of your own footing on your life and fully give into the flow of the river which is God’s plan for your life. Having a foothold on your plan and life can hinder God’s foothold and plan for your life because when you have a foothold, you can choose to trust yourself rather than God. Obviously, a new believer would be swept away as they wouldn’t be mature enough to handle that; hence why God starts us small slowly taking our first baby steps till we can reach that level. No full-blown river starts at such depth but rather little streams.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6.
This tells us to trust in God fully which means we ought to go with the flow of Him. It also tells us not to lean on our own understanding. The stronger foothold you have in the river, the more you lean on your own strength against the river. So overall, just let go. Let go of your own understanding and your own foothold. Take your steps and get your feet wet. Start with the ankles, then the knees, then the waist all the way until you cannot stand on your own strength and understanding. Don’t resist the current and the flow of His river of life. And when you are at the point to swim, He will be the one to keep you afloat in the flowing river. He will show you how to swim and flow with Himself. Don’t be afraid of the waters for He won’t let you sink or drown just as Jesus grabbed Peter when Peter sank into the waters.