He’s a Mighty Big God

When I was maybe four years old, my dad would me challenge me with long words to learn to spell. Two of his favorites were encyclopedia and Mississippi. You can imagine how difficult it was to say them, much less spell them! I remember sitting in my room and working out the sounds and the spelling without the benefit of even a kindergarten education under my belt. Thankfully, I knew my alphabet. My brother, at six years old, was a somewhat helpful resource since I could tap into his first grade expertise. Finally, the pronunciation and spelling clicked in my brain and I proudly shared my hard-earned proficiency with my family. Success! Even today, when I’m sitting quietly, I find myself spelling those two words in my mind.

Recently, I flew over the Mississippi River as I have done scores of times in my life. Growing up in a small oil town in California the thought of a river that big was beyond my imagination. In the 80’s, a career move took me to St. Louis where I experienced the river on a regular basis and saw first-hand its fleeting currents and immense broadness as it wound its way between Missouri and Illinois. A few years ago, I had the unique “Americana” experience of sitting on the green grass of the riverbank watching the annual tug-of-war contest between the residents of Illinois and Iowa. It’s a mighty big river.

I began to wonder where big rivers come from. They don’t just jump out of the ground fully formed, they have a humble beginning somewhere. The Mississippi starts at Lake Itasca in Minnesota. Along its 2500 mile journey, the Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, and Red rivers join it as it heads south until it reaches the great ocean basin of the Gulf of Mexico.

The Christian life is a bit like the Mississippi. A simple start, when I asked Jesus into my heart as a child, became an amazing journey. My parents, grandparents, Sunday School teachers, friends, and mentors poured life into me with their wisdom, experience, and care. As I matured, I grew stronger and bolder in my walk with the Lord, while the impact on those around me broadened. My thirst for my Savior resulted in Rivers of Living Water flowing from my heart. He’s a mighty big God.

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”

John 7:37-38 (NLT)