Rivers and Waterfalls

[Proclaimer]

I kept on having a dream of a river in a certain country I was visiting. In the dream I am expecting the river to look like some of the rivers that I have seen in Norway and New Zealand. Very clean, extremely turbulent, and with awesome power.

I appear to be a tourist who is visiting local attractions in this place and the highlight of the trip is a visit to this amazing river. I am really excited to be in this country. It is very beautiful and has spectacular landscapes. I ask for directions to get to this river and people point the way. Finally I get there and to my disappointment the I find that the river has been rerouted down a man made canal that twists and turns. I am so disappointed because the people of this country have sought to tame such a beautiful and wild natural river. I leave very disappointed I don’t even take a photograph.

I then have this same dream many other nights each one in a different location. I do not understand it’s message if indeed there is a message at all. In fact I only contemplate the dream a few times and I don’t search for any deep understanding even though I think it strange to have multiple dreams with the same theme.

Again I have the same dream. I visit this very beautiful country and I am really enjoying the natural beauty and attractions. This time I am going to visit an extremely beautiful waterfall. After visiting many local attractions I walk on to the highlight of my trip, the waterfall. People point the way to me and when I get there I find that the waterfall has been controlled by man with the use of concrete. The water still flows and it’s power is awesome, but it falls down a very square concrete block. I look over the edge and admire the falling water, but I am disappointed that man has spoiled such a beautiful natural place. I then have this dream of a waterfall repeatedly over a period of months.

One night, I remembered the dream before I fell asleep and asked God if it had any meaning. That night when I fell asleep, I had the same dream. In the dream, I left my accommodation and I saw other tourists and backpackers all eager to experience the beauty of this place and I ask the way to the waterfall and I am told that this waterfall is the highest in the world. A tourist says to me that if I go this particular way, you can see a smaller waterfall on route then onto the biggest waterfall in the world.

When I get there, I am very disappointed to find that the smaller waterfall has been tamed by man. It is made up of 3 concrete blocks and the waterfall cascades down in a staircase fashion before it becomes a river again. I leave disappointed, but I am not too concerned because I am about to visit the biggest waterfall in the world. I just assume that it will be too big for even man to try and control so it must be in its natural state. In my mind I imagine a spectacular sight of the water leaping down a sheer cliff of hundreds of meters.

I eventually get there and I cannot believe my eyes. The waterfall cascades down hundreds of concrete steps. The water is also very tame compared to the spectacular leap down a sheer cliff that I was imagining. I am very disappointed to also see that the natural vegetation has also been cut down and the whole place looks a bit like a theme park catering for the tourists with plenty of ways to spend your money.

I then ask one of the locals why they ruined such a spectacular landscape. I already know in my heart that the reason is about control and money, but the local says that it was necessary because the awesome force of the waterfall was eroding the cliff away and that it may have been possible that the waterfall was going to ruin the landscape. So in order to preserve such a spectacular natural wonder, the people decided to build this huge giant concrete stair case for it to flow down and in doing so they destroyed the very thing that they were trying to preserve. The dream ends.

I wake up the next day and while I am writing down something on the computer, the memory of the dream and the other dreams come to me. Suddenly the meaning becomes obvious.

The water is the flow of God’s Spirit. It is awesome in power, spectacular and unpredictable. The canals and the concrete staircases represent the works of man and his desire to control the things of God for himself. The reason given for these ugly works of man is that they do not trust the awesome power of God and they know that this power can also be destructive and they are scared of this. So out of fear of possibly losing something that is of great benefit to them, they try to preserve it with their own works and in doing so they destroy the very thing they were trying to protect. But the underlying reason has also to do with making money using God.

Even though the flow of the water/Spirit was still awesome in the canals and waterfalls it was very disappointing that it was being controlled . And the biggest waterfall in the world was also the biggest disappointment. Man has tried to reroute God’s power and in doing so they have lost that power. The destructive and unpredictable power of God which was represented as the rivers and waterfalls before man changed them, reminded me of the following scripture:

John 3:8
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

The man made canals and staircases represent the works of man and his traditions. This reminded me of the following scripture:

Mark 7:13
Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

I was disappointed in the dream to see such raw power and beauty being harnessed by man and in that vain attempt, they ruined everything. I believe that this type of disappointment was similar to God’s disappointment with our own works done in our own or his name. He intended for us to just let his power flow the way he wants and yes it is unpredictable and there will be erosion and even destruction, but this is necessary in order for God to shape and create things anew.

Psalm 46:3-4
3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

[Richard of Decatur]

Your dream and understanding its meaning is very enlightening. Those who read about your dream should grasp its meaning even before you explain it.
I want to find out more about what you know from the Word of God.
I too am a pilgrim in this world. Seeking truth and using it to guide my life is very important. Sharing it with others gives my life a purpose beyond simply living.

[Proclaimer]

Cheers Richard. I post around here from time to time so we can converse.

🙂

[Author]

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