Click to Play
0 plays
Sign in to like or dislike songs
“Rivers of Promise” centers on one clear, unshakable truth: when the Messiah comes, He brings total restoration—spirit, soul, and body. The song is saturated with the language of healing, liberty, joy, abundance, and divine reversal. That is exactly the language of Isaiah 61, the messianic manifesto.
Let us look at what the Word of God says:
> “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
> Because the Lord has anointed Me
> To preach good tidings to the poor;
> He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
> To proclaim liberty to the captives,
> And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
> To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
> And the day of vengeance of our God;
> To comfort all who mourn,
> To console those who mourn in Zion,
> To give them beauty for ashes,
> The oil of joy for mourning,
> The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
> That they may be called trees of righteousness,
> The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
> — Isaiah 61:1–3 (NKJV)
The other scriptures reinforce the same reality:
The song’s imagery—fields that rise, rivers of promise, scars that fade, chains broken—is not sentimental. It is covenantal. It declares what the anointed Messiah does in the lives of those who come to Him.
The central theme: Jesus the Anointed One ushers in a new order—abundant provision, healing, liberty, and joy—like rivers flowing through the darkest night, transforming everything they touch.
---
### Isaiah 61: The Voice of the Anointed One
Isaiah 61 stands in the latter portion of the book of Isaiah, often called the “Book of Consolation” (chapters 40–66). Israel was under judgment, discipline, and distress. Much of the nation’s experience was marked by exile, devastation, and hopelessness.
In Isaiah 61:1–3 the speaker is not Isaiah himself in the ordinary sense. It is the voice of the coming Messiah, speaking through the prophet. How do we know? Because Jesus Himself said so.
In Luke 4, Jesus enters the synagogue in Nazareth:
> “And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
> ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
> Because He has anointed Me
> To preach the gospel to the poor;
> He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
> To proclaim liberty to the captives
> And recovery of sight to the blind,
> To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
> To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’”
> … “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
> — Luke 4:17–19, 21
Jesus said, in effect: *This is My mission statement.* Isaiah 61 is the charter of His ministry. Everything described there—good news to the poor, healing, liberty, comfort, joy, praise, restoration—is fulfilled in Him.
So when the lyrics speak of:
They are not exaggerations. They are echoes of Isaiah 61 and Luke 4. This is how Jesus operates when He is received as Lord and King.
### The New Testament Setting
1. Matthew 11:28 – Jesus speaks to those “who labor and are heavy laden.” The context is religious pressure and spiritual weariness under the law and human traditions. He offers rest—not mere relaxation, but a yoke-exchange: His yoke instead of ours.
2. John 8:36 – Jesus is confronting religious Jews who claimed freedom as Abraham’s descendants, yet remained slaves to sin. He exposes that all who commit sin are slaves of sin (John 8:34). Freedom comes only through *the Son*.
3. 1 Peter 2:24 – Peter is writing to scattered believers under pressure and persecution. He reminds them that Jesus bore their sins in His body on the tree, that they might live righteously, “by whose stripes you were healed.” The cross is both judicial (sins forgiven) and therapeutic (healing provided).
4. Psalm 126:5–6 – This psalm celebrates a return from captivity. It is the language of restoration after discipline. Those who went out weeping, sowing precious seed, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves. That is the background for the song’s images of fields rising, harvest, and overflowing bread.
The people of God were often in situations of barrenness, captivity, mourning, and oppression—exactly the kind of conditions described in the song: dryness, chains, blindness, lameness, mourning. God’s answer, in every age, is the same: the anointing of the Spirit upon the Word, flowing like rivers into dry places.
---
To deepen our understanding, we will consider two key words: *anointed* and *healed*.
### 1. “Anointed” (Hebrew: *māšaḥ*; Greek: *chriō*)
In Isaiah 61:1:
> “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
> Because the Lord has anointed Me…”
The Hebrew word is מָשַׁח (*māšaḥ*), meaning “to smear, to anoint, to consecrate.” From this root we get Mashiach (Messiah) — “the Anointed One.”
In the Greek of Luke 4:18, the word is χρίω (*chriō*), from which we get Christos (Christ), also meaning “the Anointed One.”
Anointing in Scripture is never merely symbolic. It is the visible sign of an invisible reality: the Spirit of God coming upon a person for a specific task—kingship, priesthood, or prophetic ministry.
Jesus is the Anointed One. All the rivers of promise described in the song flow from this fact: the Spirit of the Lord is upon Him.
This is critical. We do not have healing, liberty, or joy in the abstract. We have them *in Christ*. Where He is received as the Anointed One, the flow begins. Where He is resisted, the flow is blocked.
So when the lyrics speak of “the open heaven unlocks its doors,” that is precisely what happened when Jesus was baptized:
> “The heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.”
> — Matthew 3:16
He is the portal of the open heaven. The anointing rests on Him without measure.
### 2. “Healed” (Greek: *iaomai*)
1 Peter 2:24:
> “…by whose stripes you were healed.”
The Greek word is ἰάομαι (*iaomai*), meaning “to heal, to cure, to make whole.” It is used frequently of physical healing in the Gospels (for example, Matthew 8:8, 13).
Notice the tense: *you were healed.* It is a completed action. Peter looks back to the cross as the decisive event where the healing provision was made.
This does not mean every believer is automatically walking in full health. It means that the legal ground has been secured. Healing is part of the atoning work of Christ, to be appropriated by faith.
When the song declares:
> “Wounds will close and scars will fade
> By His stripes the price was paid”
It is expressing this reality: Jesus’ suffering was substitutionary and effective. Our wounds—physical, emotional, spiritual—find their answer in the stripes laid on Him. The “price was paid” (*tetelestai* — “It is finished,” John 19:30).
Healing is not a peripheral bonus. It is woven into the very fabric of redemption.
---
### A. “Fields of gold they will rise they will grow
Rain falls down to the seeds we sow
Bread in the storehouse overflowing high
No more hunger no more dry”
Here we have the language of harvest and provision.
This echoes Isaiah 55:10–11:
> “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
> And do not return there,
> But water the earth,
> And make it bring forth and bud,
> That it may give seed to the sower
> And bread to the eater,
> So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth…”
Here is a key principle: God’s Word is like rain. Where it falls and is received, there is fruitfulness. Where it is resisted, there is barrenness.
Psalm 126:5–6 adds:
> “Those who sow in tears
> Shall reap in joy.
> He who continually goes forth weeping,
> Bearing seed for sowing,
> Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
> Bringing his sheaves with him.”
Some of God’s people have sown in tears: obedience, faithfulness, giving, prayer, intercession. The song announces: *the season of harvest is coming*. The fields will rise and grow. The storehouse will overflow. Where there was spiritual and emotional dryness, the rain of God’s Word and Spirit will fall.
This also answers to Matthew 11:28: those who labor and are heavy laden, exhausted and spiritually famished, are called into rest and satisfaction in Christ.
### B. “Rivers of promise run through the night
Healing waters shining bright
Peace that whispers joy that roars
The open heaven unlocks its doors”
The picture shifts from fields to rivers.
This reflects John 7:38:
> “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
John explains that Jesus spoke of the Spirit. When the Spirit is poured out, rivers flow—internally and externally.
It also echoes Revelation 22:1–2, where the river of the water of life flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb, bringing healing to the nations.
Even “through the night”—times of trial, confusion, or persecution—the promises of God do not cease. Psalm 42:8:
> “The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
> And in the night His song shall be with me…”
The “open heaven” points us back to the Anointed One. Heaven opened over Jesus (Matthew 3:16) and remains open over all who are in Him. Ephesians 1:3 says God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” The doors are unlocked in Him.
### C. “Wounds will close and scars will fade
By His stripes the price was paid”
Here the song moves directly into atonement and healing.
1 Peter 2:24 connects Christ’s stripes with our healing. Isaiah 53:5 says:
> “But He was wounded for our transgressions,
> He was bruised for our iniquities;
> The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
> And by His stripes we are healed.”
Our wounds are multi-layered:
The cross is God’s total answer to man’s total need. The price has been paid. The wounds can close. The scars can fade—not always erased from memory, but stripped of their pain and power.
For many believers, this is where spiritual warfare intensifies. Satan is a legalist. He tries to deny you the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice by accusing you, condemning you, and persuading you that you are excluded.
The song takes a stand: the price was paid. Healing is not based on your worthiness. It is based on His wounds.
### D. “Mountains bow valleys lift their heads
Life erupts where the Word is said”
Here we see the transforming power of the spoken Word.
“Mountains bow” – obstacles, proud powers, and high things are brought low (2 Corinthians 10:4–5).
“Valleys lift their heads” – the downtrodden, depressed, and broken are raised up.
“Life erupts where the Word is said” – when God’s Word is proclaimed in faith, life springs forth.
This reflects Isaiah 40:4–5:
> “Every valley shall be exalted
> And every mountain and hill brought low;
> The crooked places shall be made straight
> And the rough places smooth;
> The glory of the Lord shall be revealed…”
And Proverbs 18:21:
> “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…”
Where the Word is *said*—proclaimed, confessed, believed—life erupts. There is no neutral ground. Our words either agree with God and release His life, or agree with the enemy and reinforce death.
This theme runs throughout Derek Prince’s teaching: right confession is essential. We must align our mouths with God’s Word.
### E. [Prechorus] “Do you hear it? Do you see?
Chains are broken we are free”
Here the song calls for perception.
“Do you hear it? Do you see?” – Not everyone hears what God is doing. Not everyone sees the spiritual reality behind the physical.
But for those who do, the confession is: “Chains are broken we are free.”
This aligns with Isaiah 61:1 – “liberty to the captives… opening of the prison to those who are bound,” and John 8:36:
> “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
“Indeed” (Greek: *ontōs*) means truly, really, in reality. Not theoretical freedom. Actual freedom.
Many Christians are legally free but experientially bound. This line calls us to recognize and appropriate what Christ has done: the chains have been broken. Our part is to step out of the prison and walk in freedom.
### F. “Let the lame walk let the blind see
Shackles shattered we’re finally free”
This is straight from Jesus’ ministry:
It speaks both physically and spiritually. Spiritual lameness is inability to walk in God’s ways. Spiritual blindness is inability to see truth. The Messiah’s anointing addresses both.
“Shackles shattered we’re finally free” intensifies the image. Not just unlocked, but shattered. This suggests the destruction of Satan’s legal claims and bondage through the cross (Hebrews 2:14–15; Colossians 2:14–15).
### G. “Oil of gladness where mourning stood
All things turning all things good”
Directly from Isaiah 61:3:
> “…to give them beauty for ashes,
> The oil of joy for mourning…”
“Oil of gladness” in Hebrew culture is festive oil poured on the head in times of rejoicing. Mourning was often marked by ashes, sackcloth, and unwashed appearance. Oil was for celebration.
So the song says, in effect: where there was grief, heaviness, and despair, the anointing oil of the Spirit now brings joy and gladness.
“All things turning all things good” echoes Romans 8:28:
> “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God…”
This is not naïve optimism. It is covenant faith. God does not say all things are good. He says He works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
The anointing of Isaiah 61 is a reversal anointing:
The song rightly portrays this as a total transformation: *all things turning all things good* for those under the Messiah’s anointing.
---
If these truths are real, how do we respond? There are four clear steps.
### 1. Come to the Anointed One Personally
Matthew 11:28:
> “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
We do not come to a doctrine, a system, or an experience. We come to a Person—Jesus the Anointed One. Many want the rivers without the source. That will never work.
Proclamation 1:
“Lord Jesus, I come to You. You are the Anointed One. I lay down my burdens, my sins, and my striving. I receive Your yoke, Your rest, and Your life.”
### 2. Align Your Mouth with God’s Word
“Life erupts where the Word is said.” We must say what God says.
This is not mechanical. It is agreement with God. Confession (*homologeō* in Greek) literally means “to say the same thing” as God.
Proclamation 2:
“I agree with God’s Word. By Jesus’ stripes I was healed. If the Son makes me free, I am free indeed. God is turning all things together for my good because I love Him and I am called according to His purpose.”
### 3. Receive and Yield to the Holy Spirit
The rivers in the song are the rivers of the Spirit.
John 7:38–39:
> “This He spoke concerning the Spirit…”
We must:
Many remain dry because they resist the Spirit through unbelief, fear, or control. The rivers flow where surrender is present.
Proclamation 3:
“Holy Spirit, I welcome You. I yield my life to You. Let rivers of living water flow out of my innermost being. Bring healing, liberty, and joy as You will.”
### 4. Sow in Faith, Expect a Harvest
Psalm 126:5–6 speaks of sowing in tears and reaping in joy. The first stanza of the song emphasizes seeds, rain, and fields.
Then, expect God’s rain and God’s harvest. Do not interpret delay as denial. The night may be long, but the rivers still run.
Proclamation 4:
“I choose to sow in faith. My tears are not wasted. God’s Word will not return void. The seeds I sow will bring a harvest. My fields will rise and grow. My storehouse will overflow according to God’s promise.”
---
### Proclamation
Say this aloud, deliberately, as an act of faith:
> “The Spirit of the Lord God was upon Jesus, and He has become my Messiah, my Anointed One.
> He preached good news to me in my poverty.
> He healed my broken heart.
> He proclaimed liberty to me in my captivity,
> And opened the prison where I was bound.
>
> By His stripes I was healed—spirit, soul, and body.
> By His blood my sins are forgiven.
> By His cross my chains are broken.
>
> The Son has made me free, and I am free indeed.
> Rivers of living water flow in me and through me.
> Rivers of promise run through my night.
> Healing waters shine in my darkness.
>
> God gives me beauty for ashes,
> The oil of joy for mourning,
> And the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.
>
> I will not remain dry, barren, or bound.
> I receive the open heaven over my life in Christ.
> My fields will rise and grow.
> My storehouse will overflow.
> I will reap in joy what I have sown in tears.
>
> All things are turning,
> All things are working together for good,
> Because I love God and I am called according to His purpose.
> In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
### Prayer
“Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the Anointed One, the fulfillment of Isaiah 61. I acknowledge You as my Messiah, my Savior, my Healer, and my Deliverer.
I bring to You my dryness, my wounds, my chains, and my mourning. Let Your Spirit, like rivers of living water, flow through every barren place in my life. Where there is bondage, proclaim liberty. Where there is sickness, release healing. Where there is mourning, pour in the oil of gladness. Where there is heaviness, clothe me with the garment of praise.
Holy Spirit, fall like rain on the seeds that have been sown—in my heart, my family, my ministry, my circumstances. Cause the fields to rise and grow. Command Your blessing on the work of my hands according to Your Word.
I renounce every lie of Satan that denies the finished work of the cross. I choose to agree with the Word of God: by Jesus’ stripes I was healed; whom the Son makes free is free indeed; those who sow in tears will reap in joy.
Let life erupt where Your Word is said. Let mountains bow and valleys be lifted in my life. Let the rivers of promise run through my night until every area of darkness is filled with Your light.
I receive these things now, not because I deserve them, but because the price was paid at Calvary. I thank You for it, and I give You all the glory.
In the mighty name of Jesus,
Amen.”
No more songs available