Yesterday, we discussed being careful who you trust. We know that some people will let us down or betray us. When that happens, our trust is broken. We may have our doubts about trusting God. We want to believe we can trust him. Or we may fully trust God.
Through the prophet Jeremiah, God tells us why we should trust him. First, he says that we will be blessed. What does that mean? It means God blesses those who trust him. Those blessings come in many different forms. The best blessings come from his grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
God’s blessings are demonstrated by God’s description of a tree living by water. As our roots go deep into God, we will always be able to lean on him and know that he will provide. He points out that even when the heat comes, we will withstand it and will not wilt. We can interpret that as meaning when those tough times hit, and they will, our trust in God will carry us through them. We will know that God has a plan for us, and he will provide what we need.
The example goes on to state that even in drought, a time of severe testing, we will not be anxious. Our trust in God allows us to face the toughest of times without fear or anxiety. He says that we will continue to bear fruit through it all. That means that our testimony of how God is carrying us through it will have a positive impact on others.
How does this happen? Notice that God states the roots of the tree grow toward the stream. That means we send our roots toward God. How do we do that? We build our relationship with him through prayer, reading God’s Word, and experiencing him throughout our daily lives. Our experience comes even during the smallest of speedbumps, by turning it over to him. When we do, we see God working and our faith (roots) grow stronger in him.
I pray we all choose to build our relationship with God. I pray we experience God in the small things. I pray each one of us will send our roots toward God so that we trust him in all circumstances. Build your relationship with God. Experience God in your life. Put your roots in God. Trust God at all times.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
They shall be like a tree planted by water,
sending out its roots by the stream.
It shall not fear when heat comes,
and its leaves shall stay green;
in the year of drought it is not anxious,
and it does not cease to bear fruit.
Marty Pressey 