Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8 NKJV 

God calls believers, “trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified” (Isa. 61:3).  “Trees of righteousness are planted by the “waters” (Psalm 1:3). But how do trees grow? Naturally, trees grow from the inside out starting at the core, as growth continues wood (strength) is made on the inside. The roots of the tree spread in the soil to collect moisture and water, minerals and nutrients that gives it life. The more collected, the deeper the roots spread making the tree more sable and stronger.

Spiritually, it is equally true that spiritual trees (believers) grow much in the same way. “For [believers] shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river” (Jer. 17:8). The Prophet Ezekiel’s vision of water flowing from the Temple in Ezekiel 47:1-7, best illustrates this growth process.

In Ezekiel’s vision he saw the Man (the Lord) bring him back to the entrance of the Temple, and he saw water coming out from under the threshold of the Temple toward the east (the Temple faced east). The waters issuing from under the threshold of the Temple speaks of humility (1 Pet. 5:5-6); then, he saw the Lord go eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led the prophet through water that was ankle-deep which speaks of walking in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25); then He measured off another thousand cubits and led him through water that was knee-deep which speaks of praying in the Spirit (Jude 20; Rom. 8:26-27); then,  He measured off another thousand and led him through water that was up to the waist which speaks of strength of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit (Eph. 6:10; Gal. 5:22-23); and again, He measured off another thousand, but now the running waters became a river that Ezekiel could not cross— the water had risen deep enough to swim in — a river that no one could cross. This undoubtedly represent flowing in the Spirit (John 7:38). The 1000 cubit measurements before each rising level of the waters are emblematic of perfection of life, i.e., divine completeness unto the Father’s glory (see Rev. 21, Millennial Period).

Now after the Lord had brought the prophet through these expanding waters that flowed from the Temple, He asked him, “Son of man, do you see this?” (Ezek. 47:6). Do you see what? Do you see how trees grow when they spread their roots by the river? In the vision, the Lord then brought Ezekiel back to the bank of the river, and when he arrived there, the Prophet saw a great number of trees on each side of the river (Ezek. 47:7).  Believers grow by humbling themselves, walking in the Spirit, praying in the Spirit, being strong in the Spirit, and flowing in the Spirit—trusting in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord!