"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit." Jer 17:7-8
One of my favourite verses in the Bible. Recently took time to take it apart and think about what it really means...
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters- Always close to the Source of nourishment, always receiving and being filled with fresh living water.
Spreads out its roots by the river- Firm and deep foundations that do not wear away with time, able to withstand the scourges of time, will not be shaken in the storms of life. Totally secure and content.
Will not fear when the heat comes- Will never fear when trials or tribulations or struggles come, can always draw on the endless water that comes from the river, always refreshed and nourished in the most difficult times. Always knows where to look to for help.
Leaf will be green- Inner health, peace, joy, completeness and wholeness.
Will not be anxious in the year of drought- Will not fear when sustenance or strength or security or hope or happiness is cut off, because all these things come from the Source, the stream, the ever-flowing river. While others may wither, will stand firm and evergreen.
Nor will cease from yielding fruit- In the same measure as having received, will also pour out abundantly and bless others. The strength, joy and nourishment is never hoarded up but always flows through freely and endlessly to all around.
Of course, us having all these wonderful qualities depend on two things- one, whether or not the river is indeed ever-flowing, or in other words, whether or not God will always be there as our Source. And two, whether or not we truly trust in the Lord and have Him as our hope.
The first is of course undoubtable. Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever; He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. But the second, that is a big question mark. It is so easy to say that we trust in the Lord and have Him as our hope, when in reality we are trusting in ourselves and have other things as our hope. Who do we trust for strength, for guidance, for direction? Do we trust Him enough to provide for all our needs? Or do we run all over the place seeking to provide for them ourselves? Do we trust Him enough to follow where He leads, even if it hurts? Or do we prefer to do things our own way, trusting that we have the best ideas? Where does our hope lie? Does it lie in a secure future, a successful life, a relationship? Or does it lie in a life lived with Him, now and beyond the grave to eternity?
Sometimes we are so deluded that the Lord has to break us before we realise where our real trust and hope lies. Sometimes He sends the heat and the drought and lets us wither for a while, to make us realise how far we are away from the river. If you've experienced that do not resent it or run away from it; it's time for you to get to the river, get to the Source. God will not leave you withering forever; He intends for you to be find the true eternal Source of nourishment. It will probably take some massive spiritual surgery before you actually find it; the tree must be uprooted painfully, carried slowly and painstakingly to the river, and then replanted. In the words of Rich Mullins, "You gotta hang on for dear life, or let go for dear life." But once there, as you experience the fresh water that never ends, you will forget the pain, and it will all have been worth it.
And whose hope is the Lord.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit." Jer 17:7-8
One of my favourite verses in the Bible. Recently took time to take it apart and think about what it really means...
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters- Always close to the Source of nourishment, always receiving and being filled with fresh living water.
Spreads out its roots by the river- Firm and deep foundations that do not wear away with time, able to withstand the scourges of time, will not be shaken in the storms of life. Totally secure and content.
Will not fear when the heat comes- Will never fear when trials or tribulations or struggles come, can always draw on the endless water that comes from the river, always refreshed and nourished in the most difficult times. Always knows where to look to for help.
Leaf will be green- Inner health, peace, joy, completeness and wholeness.
Will not be anxious in the year of drought- Will not fear when sustenance or strength or security or hope or happiness is cut off, because all these things come from the Source, the stream, the ever-flowing river. While others may wither, will stand firm and evergreen.
Nor will cease from yielding fruit- In the same measure as having received, will also pour out abundantly and bless others. The strength, joy and nourishment is never hoarded up but always flows through freely and endlessly to all around.
Of course, us having all these wonderful qualities depend on two things- one, whether or not the river is indeed ever-flowing, or in other words, whether or not God will always be there as our Source. And two, whether or not we truly trust in the Lord and have Him as our hope.
The first is of course undoubtable. Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever; He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. But the second, that is a big question mark. It is so easy to say that we trust in the Lord and have Him as our hope, when in reality we are trusting in ourselves and have other things as our hope. Who do we trust for strength, for guidance, for direction? Do we trust Him enough to provide for all our needs? Or do we run all over the place seeking to provide for them ourselves? Do we trust Him enough to follow where He leads, even if it hurts? Or do we prefer to do things our own way, trusting that we have the best ideas? Where does our hope lie? Does it lie in a secure future, a successful life, a relationship? Or does it lie in a life lived with Him, now and beyond the grave to eternity?
Sometimes we are so deluded that the Lord has to break us before we realise where our real trust and hope lies. Sometimes He sends the heat and the drought and lets us wither for a while, to make us realise how far we are away from the river. If you've experienced that do not resent it or run away from it; it's time for you to get to the river, get to the Source. God will not leave you withering forever; He intends for you to be find the true eternal Source of nourishment. It will probably take some massive spiritual surgery before you actually find it; the tree must be uprooted painfully, carried slowly and painstakingly to the river, and then replanted. In the words of Rich Mullins, "You gotta hang on for dear life, or let go for dear life." But once there, as you experience the fresh water that never ends, you will forget the pain, and it will all have been worth it.
1 Comments:
hi,
i came to read this entry by chance, i am very encouraged to see how you have taken apart God's word bit by bit and dwell on its meaning. I am challenge to do likewise everytime i approach God's word. i like that bit in Jeremiah too, it reminds me not to rely on my limited human strength.
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Anonymous, at 7:06 AM
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