A River Part 2

Psalm 51:2
Today is the next part of my object devotions on rivers. Yesterday, I spoke on the life-giving properties of rivers and their similarity to God. The next attribute of a river I was thinking about is its life-altering abilities. The canyon I sit in is slowly being carved, shaped and transformed by the constant flow of water through it. In fact, each rock, including the one I was sitting on, are under continual change which made it quite comfortable to sit on unlike other rocks higher up the canyon walls. Years of water flowing over it had removed sharp jagged edges, polishing the surface. Over the course of our lives God polishes us, working to make us more like Christ. It is a gradual process just like polishing a stone or carving a canyon, as the Lord is merciful, shaping and refining us in a careful, planned way. If things were to go too quickly, like when the river floods, there would likely be devastation setting the whole process back. So day after day the work continues at just the right pace moving us towards perfection. With the process comes cleansing. Just as the river carries away debris cleaning itself and the area around it, so God removes our impurities in the purification he is putting us through. The old is washed away so the new can be revealed. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin (Psalm 51:2 NIV).