Jeremiah 17:5-8

Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.

Bible Reading

This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the desert; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

– Jeremiah 17:5-8

Devotion

Ultimately, our life is to be shaped by our level of trust that we have in God. Israel had a consistent pattern of failing to trust God’s character and turning instead to other gods and sources of hope. God says to Israel that trusting in anyone or anything but Him leads to a life that is like a bush in the desert—dry, wearying, fruitless, and dying. Israel had been experiencing this for many centuries due to their failure to trust God and walk in obedience to His Words. Yet whenever they would place their complete trust in Him, they would experience the blessed life that God had promised—a tree planted by the water.

The Big Question

The same principle is true for us today. The richness of our life is found in the roots of our faith and obedience growing ever deeper into the constant flowing stream of God’s life. Like the branches that are connected solidly into the thick grape vine (John ch. 15), the sap can flow continuously in our veins if our roots are growing deep into the life-giving streams of God’s life. No matter what season of life we are walking through, we can still bear fruit of His hope and peace and supernatural joy. It is a much deeper and abiding fruit that carries us beyond our circumstances. Of the many pictures found in the book of Jeremiah, which one do you resonate with the most? Why? If you had to picture your relationship with God right now, how would you picture it?

Conclude your time in prayer and silence reflecting on what God revealed to you today.