Jane Horsfall’s exuberant piece, Adonai Elohai, provides the setting for this delightful opportunity to reflect on how God increases the flow and significance of His ‘river’ in our hearts, and the ways in which He distributes His gifts to us, and then enables us in turn to share what He has given us with others.Music: Jane Horsfall: Adonai ElohaiMusicians: Jane and James Horsfall, Helen Rees, Philippa Barton, Julian Chan, Jo Garcia, Mike Halliday, Anthony ThompsonThe source of our own spiritual river may well have been small at the outset – may well still seem so to this day; but is that not how all great rivers begin, before going on to reach a greater breadth and depth, and a stronger flow and greater momentum as their journey progresses?We have not been accumulating wisdom and knowledge through the years just to satisfy ourselves, or to impress others, let alone to compete with them, but to enrich and add to their flow. Praise God for all the ways in which we have contributed to promote a godly flow in certain other people’s lives.This is the work of a distributary river. A distributary is the opposite of a tributary, for instead of waters pouring in to become one with the main stream, now streams – and even rivers – branch off to flow into other channels. The river has reached a point where it is mature enough to distribute all the good things it has picked up along the way, and the natural terrain is such as to accommodate and make this possible.I love that word, ‘distributary!’ The Scriptures are full of pictures of the good things of God – land and food and spiritual gifts – being gathered and then divided and distributed with wisdom and generosity, or the tongues of fire being distributed on the disciples at Pentecost, and other gifts of the Holy Spirit being distributed amongst the Church. (Jn. 6:11; Acts 2:3; Heb. 2:4 (cf 1 Cor. 12:11))Think of Paul reminding Timothy to ‘instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited but to be generous and ready to share, treasuring up for themselves a firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.’ The writer to the Hebrews likewise reminds us ‘not to forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.’ (1 Tim. 6:18, Heb. 13:16)Jesus, You blessed the loaves, and put them into the disciples’ hands, and then You instructed them to distribute them to all the vast crowd that had gathered to hear Your words and to see the signs Your Father did through You. And right there and then, the loaves were multiplied to feed all who were there and still there were leftovers to be gathered.We want to ‘ponder anew what the Almighty can do when with His love, He doth befriend’ us.As rivers gather up not only water but vital soils and sediments before distributing them, it’s good to think back to some of the things You have enabled us to gather and to distribute – and to ask You to keep on doing such things through us, in such a way as to empower and bless others.You are always about this work in our lives, Lord, distributing the gifts of Your love and presence through us in ways we may not even be aware of.