Ezekiel 47:7
“Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.”
Many times when a child is going through a growth stage, they will experience growing pains. What is interesting is that they don't know why they are having pain, but their body is going through the pressure that growth causes.
You will never grow without pressure. A business person who wants to grow their business will go through times of extreme pressure. A church that is growing is a church where its members are under pressure. That pressure may be the result of trials, but the pressure is what grows the church. In the verses above, you find there are five features of growth.
First, growth is not an immediate process. In verses 3-5, you will see that God brought Ezekiel through several different levels of water. He brought him to waters that went to his ankles, knees, loins and finally to waters which he could not pass over. You must be patient with yourself and others as you go through the growth process. Don't become impatient with the growth process, because it never happens immediately. There are stages of growth you must go through.
Second, growth won’t happen without being stretched. God brought Ezekiel to different levels of water. Every level stretched Ezekiel’s faith. Growth is uncomfortable because it stretches you. If you only do for God what is comfortable, you will never experience growth. God must stretch you to grow you. At times that stretching may be painful or uncomfortable, but it is necessary for growth.
Third, growth will take you to your limit. Ezekiel went to waters that he was not able to pass over, but God did not bring him beyond his limit. One of the most important things to understand about growth is that you must be brought to your breaking point, but God will never bring you beyond it. God has to bring you to the breaking point so that you will place your faith in His power to bring you through. You will never experience the growth God wants you to have without your faith being challenged.
Fourth, growth needs a time of reprieve to continue to the process. Once Ezekiel got to the point he could not go further, God brought him back to the banks of the river. God’s process of growth is pressure and relief. He will challenge you, and afterwards He gives you a time to breathe. Be careful about always putting pressure without relief. When a person gets to their breaking point, you must allow them to have time to be relieved of the pressure so that they will have the strength to go through the next growth stage.
Fifth, growth happens when you don't see it. It is interesting that when Ezekiel got back to the banks of the river, there were fully grown trees on either side of the river. You may not see the growth happening in your life, but you are growing even when you don't see it. Just because you don't see growth doesn't mean it is not happening. You have to trust God’s growth process and continue if you want to mature in your Christian life.
Friend, growth is never an easy process, but if you continue without quitting, you will be pleased with what the LORD is doing in your life. Let me encourage you to accept faith’s challenge to grow your faith