His Voice Rides Upon the Waters

By Pastor Paul Norcross

April, 2000

Father, In Jesus’ name I submit myself to you. I submit my whole spirit, soul and body to you, and I write this article in faith that you will use it for your glory for the blessing of your precious saints. I pray Holy Spirit that your anointing will be upon it. I ask that your anointing flow from the throne and bring life to every word, that they be your words, not mine, and that they will be as living water to souls who thirst after everlasting life. In Jesus’ wonderful name, our King, amen.

When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well in John 4, He didn’t chit-chat. He spoke rhema revelation manna that so engaged her spirit that her life, and the life of her whole town, remarkably changed. Not too many years later in almost the same location (within 7 miles), revival broke out with a flow of the Holy Spirit working through Philip the evangelist (Acts 8). Perhaps it occurred because Jesus had earlier released living water from the throne room to this woman’s thirsty soul near that place. But my point is this: her response should be ours: Jesus, give me this water, that I thirst not (John 4:15 )!

You see, the process of ministering by the Holy Spirit is precisely pictured by the illustration of living water. It is a flow of the Spirit of Christ from the throne room into our spirits as living water. In John 7:37-38, we learn that out of our belly shall flow (“flow” is the Greek word reo, a root form of rhema, which means spoken revelation) rivers of living water, and this water is from the Holy Spirit. Man is to live by every rhema revelation that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3). It is heard as a voice (My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: John 10:27). Obedience to this living water voice is not optional. In fact, it was the failure to obey this voice that resulted in the death of every one of the men of war in the 40 year wandering (Joshua 5:6). Samuel clearly noted to King Saul by revelation that God has more pleasure in obedience to His voice than any sacrifice or offering:

1 Samuel 15:22-23
And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [i.e. the voice of the Lord] is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

Rebellion, witchcraft, stubbornness, and iniquity are all fruit from failing to govern our lives by the voice of the Lord, the living water from the throne of God. We are to live by every word of revelation manna that God gives us, and we need to learn the art of hearing it so that we can obey it. Not one of the astonishing miracles of Hebrews 11 (by faith Noah...by faith Enoch...by faith Moses, etc) occurred without first hearing and then obeying God’s voice. The job of the Holy Spirit is to help each one of us come to the place of being able to flow in the living water that springs from the well of Jesus Christ. All Christian endeavor that is self-generated will burn in the consuming fire of God. Our pursuit of Bible knowledge is an essential part of the Christian walk, and the written Word of God is a vital check and balance that can never contradict true rhema from God. But Bible knowledge without hearing His voice behind that knowledge is a religious veneer that obscures true, increasing dependence upon the voice of the Shepherd. Hearing and obeying His voice is how you decrease, and He increases.

Psalms 46:4-5
There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God , the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

The river of the Spirit of the Living God that emanates from the sanctuary begins flowing around our ankles, then knees, waist, and ultimately over our heads in Ezekiel 47:1-14. It is the Holy Spirit. The voice of the Lord rides on this water. It originates in the throne room of our Father, and flows to us in trickles around our ankles, or in torrents over our heads according to our desire and hunger to hear (Matthew 5:6).

Psalms 29:1-4
Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

Jeremiah 51:16a (Lamsa)
When he utters his voice, he causes the rushing sound of waters in the heavens….

Our heavenly Father longs for fellowship with you, and that happens primarily through words. Our fellowship is with both the Father and the Son (I John 1:3). Jesus is recruiting a Bride, and He longs to spend time with her! He is even now washing her with the water of His rhema revelatory word, causing her to become without spot or wrinkle or blemish (Ephesians 5:26-27). We must eagerly open the door to His voice (Revelation 3:19 -22), the voice of God that flows upon the water from the throne room. We dare not harden our hearts to this voice as in the day of the rebellion in the wilderness (Psalm 95:7-11; Hebrews 3:8, 15, 4:7). We dare not refuse to go up the mountain to hear His voice as the people of Moses, nor sell our privilege to do so as Esau for a morsel of instant, easy, one-way religion (Hebrews 12:15-29). We must not refuse Him who is always speaking to us (Hebrews 12:25 , NAS) because our God is a consuming fire (v29). Our joy and our privilege is to learn to live by every wonderful, precious, word of faith-building rhema revelation (Romans 10:17 ) that proceeds out of His mouth and into our spirit as living water to a thirsty soul.

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