Thursday, September 25, 2008

As Trees By the Water

"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit" (Jeremiah 17:7,8).
This is a beautiful passage! Here we see the blessing and security of trusting in the Lord and being filled with Him. Those who trust in man will fail when the drought comes, like a "shrub in the desert" (verses 5,6). Man is never a steady support. Our feeble, human nature, tainted by pride and earth-centeredness, cannot stand up by itself under pressure, even though we think it might be able to. That is why to lean on it is disastrous, but to place it in the hands of our God is total security. God is steadfast, faithful, all-powerful, and all-knowing. With our roots feeding on the water of His Holy Spirit, we need never fear disaster or drought. Outward circumstances need not affect us. He sustains us through both the easy times and the difficult times, and we continue to bear fruit. O the blessings of being saturated with God's Word! May we draw our life from His life, abiding in Him, and He in us, so that when the time of trial comes, our leaves may remain green and we may be testimonies of the trustworthiness and goodness of our Source of Life-- the Lord Jesus Christ!

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