God’s blessings flow like a cascading river.

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“He split open the rocks in the wilderness to give them water,
as from a gushing spring.
He made streams pour from the rock,
making the waters flow down like a river!” 
Psalm 78:15-16 New Living Translation

Gravity works 100% of the time. If you fall out of bed you will hit the floor, or something else below you, 100% of the time. If you fly out of a swing you will hit the ground 100% of the time. If you hit a golf ball into the air it will land in a hazard 100% of the time, well at least if you are Doug Brauner, and it’s not gravity’s fault.

McKenzie River, Oregon

The McKenzie River flows from Clear Lake in the Cascade Mountains until it reaches the Willamette River north of Eugene. It’s a 90 mile journey that drops 3,200 feet. At no point does the McKenzie flow up hill. It can’t. Gravity works.

In the same way, God’s blessings flow down. They must because it is in the nature of God to bless his creatures even when they rebel against him.

The story that the psalmist recounts is found in Numbers 20. The people of Israel have arrived at Kadesh on their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. There wasn’t any water in this region and the people were ticked off at God, once again accusing Moses of leading them into the wilderness to die.

In a story that begs for more details, God commands Moses to speak to a rock that it might “yield its water…and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” (Numbers 20:8) Instead of speaking to the rock, Moses strikes the rock twice and a torrent of water pours out of the rock to satisfy the thirst of this wilderness weary people.

God blesses his people even though he accuses Moses of unbelief. Moses would not enter the Promised Land because of his unbelief and because he did not uphold the holiness of God before the people.

Yet, this did not stop God from blessing the people.

Despite times of unbelief and failure, God still blesses others through us. His blessings continue to flow. This is not an excuse to rebel against God thinking that it doesn’t matter how we live our lives, but a call to fall on our knees before the One who has made us and redeemed us and who is still molding us.

God’s blessings flow like an ever cascading river.

Copyright Douglas P Brauner