Jeremiah 17:7-10
Blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads out it’s roots by the river, and it shall not fear when heat comes; but it’s leaf shall be green. It shall not be anxious in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt. Who can know it (perceive, understand, be acquainted with his own heart and mind)?
I the Lord, search the mind, I try the heart.
Often times, the Word seems like a steady flow of a specific topic and then suddenly, without warning, there can be a complete shift in current. Old Testament Scripture often has a ‘parable-ish’ tone. Understandably so. Jesus said,
John 12:49
I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded me what to say and how to say it.
Jesus spoke often in parables (statements conveying a meaning by comparison). Children do tend to speak with the same words and voice inflection, as a parent. Jesus the Son, God the Father.
God speaks to Jeremiah about the favor that rests upon the man that trusts Him. Then, with words, He paints an image on the canvas of our imagination. One of a flourishing tree, strongly rooted by a river. A tree that remains green and unceasingly bears fruit, although surrounding conditions are adverse. And, without warning, the brush strokes shift the picture to the human heart.
Our hearts.
Deceitful. Perverse. Corrupt.
Our hearts.
I the Lord, try the heart.
The human heart must be examined and proved, to determine if our roots are truly immersed in the river of Living water, or a reservoir that we have ourselves, constructed. Our affections determine their placement. We sink our roots into what we believe to be reliable. And at some point, that choice will be challenged.
We seldom know where our roots rest,
until adversity comes.
The trying of our hearts exposes, in who or what we trust. Our lips may proclaim our reliance upon a dependable Father; however, when the heat wafts in and our souls feel fractured, our response reflects our true root system.
Typically, we all feel fear at the onset of adversity, but do we remain in that anxious, fearful state or do our emotions, words and actions realign with our proclamation of faith in His goodness?
Do we maintain the steady trust displayed in the abiding of a healthy leaf? A leaf living from the strength of the branch. That strength rising from the resting place of the roots.
We don’t know what we are trusting,
until there’s a trying.
Within every trying, lies a supply of greater grace. Oftentimes, grace that we may not realize we need.
The trying invites our request for grace and our appeal provides an opportunity for the display of His strength. The trial creates an opportunity for a purification of the heart and a renewal of the Spirit, which results in the glorification of our God.
Create in me a pure heart, O God and renew a steadfast Spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
We seldom see our need for rescue, until we are humbled by our reaction in the danger. Trials provide opportunities to develop steadfast trust, in a trustworthy Father.
A steadfastness needed for our successful submersion into the depths of the promised blessing in Jeremiah 17:7.
The believing in, trusting in and relying on the Lord kind of blessings, which produce a faith resistant to hardship, yielding everlasting leaves.
Leaves colored with confidence.
Leaves healthy with hope.
Fling Your Fleece 