Healing the nations

Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither nor will their fruit fall. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.  Ezekiel 47: 12

This passage in Ezekiel 47 is one of my favourite passages of Scripture. The river of God is the river of life because it flows from God’s sanctuary. Everything about the river of God speaks of abundance.  The river flows from ankle deep to so deep that no one can even cross it (47: 5). A great number of trees (47:7) grow along its banks. The life giving water turns salt water to fresh (47: 9).  Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows with large numbers of fish. (47: 9). The river is so abundant in life that fishermen will fish all along the banks of what is now the Dead Sea.

Even the marshes and swamps, not touched by the river, will be useful for salt. Finally abundant fruit will grow from the many trees growing on both banks of the river. The trees are so healthy and full of life that their leaves do not wither and their fruit doesn’t fall to the ground. In fact the trees produce a fresh crop of fruit every month.  Their fruit is picked for food and the leaves of the tree are for healing. In Revelation 22:5 which also speaks of the river of God, it says the leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations.

What a wonderful picture this is of the life giving river of God. It is full of hope for the believer that God wants to bring fullness in every way to unpromising, barren situations. It speaks of the wonderful work of the Holy Spirit who wants to flow through our lives, our churches and nations bringing his life giving abundance to all he touches.

How we need that work through the life flow of the Holy Spirit. In particular we need the healing of the nations. The planet is full of wars and disputes. Nation is rising up against nation and there is hatred everywhere. There is so much entrenched racialism and bitter hostility often going back centuries that needs the restoring work of the Holy Spirit. 

In eternity Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore (Isaiah 2:4). Jesus died for everyone and in heaven there will be a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people and language standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb (Revelation 7:9).

I believe though God wants churches to be places not just of healing from sickness and disease but also healing and restoring relationships between people including healing between nationalities from racialism and prejudices - now. The Church can be a picture of genuine love and fellowship between people from all nations that provides a picture to unbelievers of God’s love for his world.  Nowhere else can there be genuine love between people of all nationalities than in the Church where God’s river flows.