“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.”
Ezekiel 47:9 (NIV)
Welcome, friends, to the final installment of this 4-part mini-series of weekly devotions I’ve entitled Awaken! We’ve been focusing on Revival.
Revival is more than a church tent meeting. More than good music. More than a temporary high. It’s not about doing more or trying harder. It’s about what only God can do when His Spirit moves through willing hearts. And right now, many of us are desperate for it.
This week, I’ve spent time repenting of all the times when I’ve tried to make this happen in my own strength, my own sources of water, and my own skills. Basically, I’ve been trying to make trees grow from my own power. The Holy Spirit did some major convicting this week, and I’ll tell you something: there’s freedom when we let God do the work of revival and just show up to do what He asks – to stand on the river bank and be rooted in Him to bear fruit!
We’ve walked with the prophet Ezekiel through dry valleys and deep waters in this series. We’ve seen dry bones come to life by the breath of God. We’ve watched a trickle of water from the temple become a river that no one could cross—a river of life and mission. And today, we finish that vision by standing on the riverbank.
Ezekiel 47:6–12 gives us a picture of what revival looks like when it takes root: trees on both sides of the river, bearing fruit every month and leaves that do not wither. These trees are nourished by the water that flows from the sanctuary—the very presence of God.
These trees are us.
Psalm 1 paints this picture: “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” Isaiah 61 calls the faithful “oaks of righteousness.” And here in Ezekiel, God shows us the Church—alive, fruitful, healing.
This river from God even flows into the Dead Sea, turning salty, lifeless water fresh and full of fish. That’s not just a geographic miracle—it’s a spiritual promise. The most broken places in your life, the most forgotten places in your community, even the hardest hearts—can be transformed when revival flows.
Is there a part of your heart that feels dry today?
A place in your life that feels stuck, stagnant, or even dead?
God can reach it. He wants to. The Hebrew word in verse 9 is rapha—to heal. When God’s Spirit flows in, healing begins. Healing of the heart. Healing of the Church. Healing of the community and world.
And here’s the fruit:
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”(Galatians 5:22–23)
That’s the revival we’re longing for—not just emotional passion, but transformed lives. The kind of change that feeds the world with hope. The kind of healing that brings light into darkness. The kind of fruit that lasts.
John Owen, a 17th-century Puritan, once wrote, “Lord, if thou shouldst withdraw thy Spirit, we perish. Revive us again.” That is our prayer too.
Take time today to ask God to make you like one of those trees—firmly planted, deeply rooted, spiritually alive. Bearing fruit. Offering healing. Standing tall by the river of revival.
He’s done it before. He can – He WILL – do it again.
Do it again, God. In me. In us. In Your Church.
Blessings,
Steve
