Gleanings By The River.

Message passages. Ezekiel 1: 1-3, Psalms 137: 1-9.
Ezekiel 1
¹ In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. ² On the fifth of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin— ³ the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the LORD was on him.

verse1 - The heavens can open unto you no matter where you are and what situation you are in. Ezekiel was in exile and possibly under harsh conditions but still the heavens above him opened to him so that he can be used by God.


For God to use you, you need your mind and spirit to be right. You need to see the things you want in the spirit and then let your mind to start operating in that capacity. When you allow your spirit to be in the place of God, he will open the heaven above you and pour you out rivers of water. The river that comes from the presence of God is that which waters your soul and refreshens your life. There also is a river that comes from the enemy that causes you to desire unholy pleasures. This river is the ways of the world.


In the passage Ezekiel also mentions that "in his thirtieth year". 30 is the year of maturity, and in the Jewish tradition it is only when you attain that age that you are alowed to become a priest. So no matter what you might be facing in your life, when it is time for God to use you he will reach out to you where you are. When God is about to use you he will open your heart, your eyes and your ear unto him.

Psalms 137
¹ By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. ² There on the poplars we hung our harps, ³ for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” ⁴ How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land? ⁵ If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. ⁶ May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy. ⁷ Remember, LORD, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its foundations!” ⁸ Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us. ⁹ Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.

The desire of the enemy is that when you are in trouble that you do not open your mouth to praise God. As we can see from the above passage the tormentors of the israelites mocked them to sing them songs of zion knowing fully well that their spirits are already downcast. The israelites remembered all the Lord has done for them and vow to sing praises to him. That is what is required of you when you find yourself down and under, rejoice and sing praises to the good God for he is able to deliver you.

Paul and Silas praised God even in their captivity and their prison doors were opened unto them and they even received the favor of the guard.


In conclusion, you should understand that no matter the condition you are in, when God wants to use you he will cause open heavens above you, and your heart, eyes, and ear will be yielded unto him.