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By: James River Church08/21/22

21 Days of Fasting & Prayer Devotional – Day 21: Heaven Come

Over these past 21 days of prayer and fasting, we have set aside our comfort to seek something more valuable. It is impossible to spend time calling on God, asking Him to bring Heaven down, and there be no change because God is faithful, and His Word promises that He responds to the prayers of His people.

Throughout these past few weeks, God has shown up and moved in an extraordinary way. People have been saved, set free, and miraculously healed. There’s so much to celebrate, but the exciting reality is that this is only the beginning. There is still more that God wants to do!

In Ezekiel 47, we see an interesting story. The prophet Ezekiel has a vision where he sees a river flowing from God’s temple. As the water flows from the temple, it grows deeper and deeper. It starts ankle-deep, then becomes knee-deep, then continues to deepen until it is uncrossable. On either side of the river, there are many trees, and in the water, there are swarms of fish. The most extraordinary part is that at the place where the river reaches the Dead Sea, the salt water becomes fresh water. The place that was once dead and unlivable was changed so that it was fresh and full of life.

This story serves as a beautiful illustration of what we can expect in the days ahead. This season of prayer and fasting has been incredible and full of life, but the water is only ankle-deep. We have seen only the beginning of God’s work, not the end. There are more miracles that God wants to do. There are more people that God wants to save. As we have fasted and prayed, we can have confidence that Heaven is coming and our best days are still ahead!

 

Scriptures

Ezekiel 47:1-12 (NIV)

The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side.

As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.”