"Visibility"

"There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High." (Psalms 46:4) There is so much here, this may take awhile. First off, Jerusalem had no river running through it, at least not a river of water like many other famous cities; rivers that supplied those cities with water to grow crops and avenues of trade with other cities; the river in Jerusalem was God. To be perfectly frank, God's river that flowed through Jerusalem was dried up because His people stopped worshiping Him and stop being His people. Long story short, the river was God's presence in the lives of His people, as in, the way that they viewed His presence; as they became more and more unaware of His presence, His protection upon their city was removed, and so were they removed from their city. Secondly, that same principle can be applied to our lives, as believers in Jesus Christ, and as vessels of the River of life which is to flow through us. The River of Life that flows through us must be visible to be sustained, otherwise the presence of God is not visible in His people, or to His people; in other words, you can't see His presence in your own life, and neither can anyone else. In their glorious days, those that dwelt within the holy city of Jerusalem were looked upon as God's people; those within other cities knew that they were, because they lived like they were. Strangely enough, that is also the way it works in our own lives; others will know that we are God's people, because we live like we are God's people. Thirdly, the word "tabernacles" is plural, which I believe speaks of God's tabernacle of testimonies, meaning the life lived of His people. The way that this works in our own lives is pretty much the same as it would look like in God's city of Jerusalem, where those looking upon the city would see lives that were testimonies of God, thereby becoming tabernacles of testimonies for Him. A city on a hill, if you will...  "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:13-16)