a child of god
this is the way, run in it
![]() It matters who you trust. How many times have you put your trust in someone only to be let down? How many times have you hoped that putting your trust in someone would result in good things? The problem with putting our trust in people is that we will let each other down, because we are marred by sin; we are not fully good like God is. The bible says "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is the LORD." This is in Jeremiah 17, where God has Jeremiah, His prophet, tell the people of Israel that there are two ways to choose. They can either put their trust in people and in idols made by man's hands, or they can put their trust in Him, the LORD God. And the LORD tells them the different results that will happen, depending on how they choose. This passage in the bible is so important for us to hear today, in a world of uncertainty, and where fear holds sway (hyped up by the media, by the way), because we need to know where to put our trust and who to look to. In verse 5 onwards, God gives Israel a picture of what it will look like if they do not put their trust in Him, and tells them what the end result will be: "Cursed is the man/woman who trusts in mankind and makes the flesh (what people do by their own efforts) his strength, and whose heart turns away from the LORD." So here we see people choosing to trust in people and what they can do for themselves, rather than in God. And, they have turned away in their hearts from following God. Those are the actions involved. The results from those actions are: "he will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when prosperity comes, but will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, a land of salt without inhabitant." The results of his choice are: 1. to be a bush in a desert (dry, hot, stunted, not growing), 2. to not be able to see prosperity, and 3. he will live in stony places, like a wilderness and in a land of salt without other inhabitants. This is contrasted then by the man/woman who chooses God and the blessings that flow from that choice. There are 4 actions described in this passage and there are 4 results that flow from it. God does one of the actions, and the man does 3. Check this out - verse 7 onwards in Jeremiah Chapter 17, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit." So here we see the man (action 1) choosing to trust in the LORD, and (action 2) making the LORD to be his trust. When he does that, God then (action 3) makes the man like a tree planted by the water (not the stunted bush in a dry hot desert). And then the man does one more thing, he (action 4) extends his roots by the stream of water. In God's kingdom, He acts when we respond to His call to draw closer to Him and choose Him. When we do that, He then delights in blessing us, His children. So here, the man is choosing to trust in the LORD and making Him his trust - this means hanging everything on God, not hedging his bets and shoring up His trust in God by doing anything himself, or also looking to other people. No, he trusts God alone for his prosperity, health, growth - for everything. And what does God do? He blesses him. He makes him like this tree planted by real water, a stream of living, moving water. We see Jeremiah call this "the fountain of living water which is the LORD God himself" in verse 13. And the results from choosing to trust God? Here they are: 1. the man will not fear when the heat comes. 2. but his leaves will be green, 3. and he will not be anxious (how nice that is when God helps us not to be anxious!). and 4. even in a year of drought he will not cease to bear fruit. Guys, those are miracles! A tree does not have green leaves in a drought. It does not bear fruit in a drought. A tree will shed its leaves and not bear fruit to try and survive a drought, and it will not survive at all if its roots are not deep. I have a sister-in-law who is an Agronomist, a Professor of Agronomy/Plant science, and she knows all about trees and plants, which is where I learned about this. And the blessings, the miraculous results that come from trusting in God, these can grow, you know. Look at verse 8 again. It says the man/tree extends its roots by the stream. That is present continuous action. We need to grow in God. We need to actively seek to deepen our roots in God, who He is, what His word says, what it means to trust Him with everything in our lives, everything, if we want that blessing of making it through the tough times. And the blessing of knowing His healing living waters in our lives (v.13-14). God goes on to say in Jeremiah 17 that "the heart is more deceitful that all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?" And that, "I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the result of his deeds" (v.9-10). It's all too easy to deceive ourselves about our motives, about the reason we make a choice. God sees all and knows all, though; He sees our hearts and knows us through and through. I'm taken back to Psalm 139 here, where the psalmist says to God, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way" (vv. 23-24). When we trust God with our lives, we can pray and ask Him to search our hearts and make them clean and acceptable before Him. We can ask Him what to do in every situation and then be quick to obey. In that way, He helps us walk out/live our trust in Him. We don't have to be afraid of getting it wrong when we trust God. Because He helps us, He forgives us when we confess where we got it wrong and chose the wrong thing. He helps us get back on track. Jesus died for us to make that possible. When we look to God, it means just that. We look to Him in all things, even the things to do with our heart, and He helps us. Praise Him!
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Franci Ballwatching and working for the kingdom of God in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham - UK Archives
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