“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 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 17:7-8 NIV

These trees are rooted firmly near the creek with roots spreading (over and under ground!) toward the water.

I love this imagery in Jeremiah! (A tiny bit of background first.) The prophet, Jeremiah, is a spokesman for God. He is warning of the coming conquest, destruction and capture of Israel by the Babylonians unless the people return to their God. As you can guess, he’s not very popular. But mixed in with all of the dire forecasts and calls to repentance, there are some beautiful reminders of what the people are missing out on, by continuing to turn away from God.

This is such a personal illustration for me. I enjoy walking along the creeks and streams on our property and seeing all the trees whose roots stretch out toward the water and the lower areas and the abundance of rhododendrons. Even in the drought we’ve had this year, and with less flow in the creeks, these trees and plants nearby have survived it and even flourished.

This verse is such a beautiful promise to us, all of God’s people, that if we trust in Him and have confidence that He is with us, we will be blessed. When troubles come (and we know they will), we will have peace and comfort and continue to be “green”. When we have extended periods of grief or heartache or sorrow, we can be assured that our God loves us and will help to carry our burdens so that we may still “bear fruit”.

I have to say that one of the first stories I thought of when I read this verse was the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus explains that He can offer her “living water” so that she would not thirst again. And like the Samaritan woman, we need to plant our “roots” firmly in God and Jesus so that we can withstand all that this world and this life can throw at us. We need the living water that Jesus offers!

This week let’s all strive to be rooted in the Lord. Let’s find those promise verses that become our nourishment and will sustain us even in the “heat and droughts” of life. Let’s hold them tight in our hearts and trust the Lord to be with us always.

I thank God for each of you! And I thank you for joining me this week as we plant our “roots” in the Lord.

Blessings for deeply rooted trust!