the Lord’s measuring increases the flow of life: we are restricted and the life is flowing!

The picture in Ezek. 47 is so rich in meaning and so deep in its significance, needing the whole Bible to explain and properly interpret it. From God’s house there’s a river flowing – through the threshold the water flows towards the east, towards God’s glory. The river increases as we are measured by the Lord – the more the Lord measures us, the more He possesses us, and the deeper the river becomes, until we are swimming in it. More measuring – more flow!

Four steps in the Lord’s measuring

The man of bronze measured four times, and each time the flow of water increased. The water up to the ankles – we cannot walk as freely as before, and our feet are taken over a little more by God. We begin to be restricted by God’s life and we learn not to walk so freely by ourselves. More measuring – the waters become deeper, and the walking is even more inconvenient. “The more you are measured by God, the more you will find that it is inconvenient for you to engage in your own activities” (W. Nee).

After we are measured the third time, the water level increases up to the loins – in this stage, a believer loses almost all of his own activities. Here we are judged, enlightened, and measured by the presence of God, and the divine life in us restricts us and even binds us. This is such a precious experience – such brothers and sisters are not quick to say or do things, their words are measured, and they no longer act that free. The final measuring brings us to waters so deep you can swim in them – we are fully carried along by the water, we are lost in God!

The gradual increase of the flow restricts us

As we go on with the Lord in our Christian life, on the one hand we are increasingly freed and released from anything negative and, on the other hand, we are more restricted and measured by God in His divine life. We may experience the Lord’s initial measuring and we may be in the flow in a shallow way, still walking and doing many things by our own effort. But as the Lord enlightens us and measures us more, the flow increases and walking becomes more difficult. The grace increases, and our dependence on the grace also increases.

It seems that the more the Lord shines on us and measures us, the more inconvenient it is for us to do the things everyone else considers normal to do, and we are restricted by the divine life within us from many things.

What we get is an increased supply, an increasing level in the river of grace. How much we need to be enlightened and measured by the Lord! Many times we can still do things by our own effort – and soon after that, we may turn to the Lord to take Him as life. We need more measuring so that the flow may increase until we fully abandon our self-effort and just swim in the river!

We need to be measured to have the outflow of life

The result of being measured by the Lord is that the flow of life is released, and there’s rivers of life flowing out of our innermost being (John 7:38). In one sense, our verbal consecration to the Lord is not so valuable as our being enlightened by God and measured by Him so that He may possess us and flow freely in us. The water of life flows deeper and wider as we are measured more and more. Where the water flows, there is much fish and this water brings life to the whole earth! There’s fruit of life wherever the water goes, and others receive the life supply.

[this sharing is inspired from, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 38, “Measure and Flow,” as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Four Great Pillars in the Lord’s Recovery.  ]

Lord Jesus, increase the flow of life in us! Measure us more every day, and increase the level of water of life. We want to have rivers of life flowing out of our innermost being! O, Lord, thank You for Your continual speaking to us – exposing us, infusing us, and bringing us on. We want to go on with You, Lord, in the flow of the divine life. More water – until we can swim in the flowing river! Increase the level of water, Lord!