This week, as a community, we’d like to pause between plans and refresh the way rhythms we use to read God’s Word. Join us as we dig into some familiar (or not so familiar) pieces of scripture and seek our Father together by reading and processing this truth.
Today’s passage is Jeremiah 17:5-10
First, let’s pray. Ask the Lord to open your heart and your mind and to help you focus on Him. Confess the things that might be keeping you from really truly experiencing His presence and submit your time to His will.
Second, let’s read Truth! Take your time and see what catches your attention. Make notes of what impresses you and moves you. Try to see the whole picture of what the passage is conveying. What does it say about God?
Next, reflect on what He’s saying. What does this passage mean for you and for the body of Christ? Is there anything you feel like He is personally communicating to you for your exact season, situation, or circumstance?
Lastly, let’s respond. Prayerfully and humbly, see what’s next. What do you need to do in light of what you’ve read? How will it affect your day, your life, and your walk with the Lord?
And as always, feel free to share with us in the comments below!
It is our joy to read Truth with you all.
Leave a Reply
94 thoughts on "Jeremiah 17:5-10"
You’ll find certainly plenty of details like this to take into consideration. That is a great point out bring up. We offer the feelings above as general creativity but plainly there are questions like the one a person bring up the location where the most important thing will be working in truthful good trust. I add?t see whether best practices have emerged around things like that, on the other hand am sure that your particular job is actually clearly defined as a fair video game. Both boys and girls feel the impact of just a moment
This scripture definitely spoke to me today! Christianity was not a big part of my childhood and I just started my faith journey after my dad passed away in 2010. At this point I’ve come so far and I’m so thankful everyday that I’m growing my relationship with God. However, one thing I still struggle with a lot is putting my trust in God. When life throws me a curve ball or when I get overwhelmed or stressed out I often fail to turn to God first. Verses 5 and 7 were strong reminders of the importance of trusting God. Like others have said, I really want to make a stronger effort to “let go and let God”, because He is the only one who truly knows what is best for us (even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time).
Verses 9 and 10 also really stuck out to me. I was actually a little perplexed by verse 9 at first and it took me a while to grasp it (especially “…and beyond cure.”). I think a lot of times we, as humans and especially women, let our hearts and emotions deceive us and manipulate our motives. I think the phrase “…and beyond cure.” means that this is inevitable because it’s human nature, unfortunately. God is the only one who can understand our heart. He can search our heart and mind to discover our true intentions and reward/punish us accordingly. Now that I understand this, it’s very significant for me. It made me realize that I need to be more aware of my heart, mind, motives, and deeds to make sure that I’m up to par with God’s expectations.
So many comments. Todays scripture and yesterdays have such connections..I was moved to write my whole blog about it. http://wp.me/p3onjr-4y Loving this time to read and reflect and read all your comments.. so moving. Love to you all.
Holy cow. I found myself praying for quite a while before reading, not knowing in advance which passage of Scripture that was exactly. And it addressed EXACTLY what I was praying about. Any fellow Colossal Coaster World VBSers out there? Life with Jesus really is "the ride of your life."
Anyway, 1. I can't always trust the opinions of others, especially those who might not be grounded in their faith. Ideas may make sense to them which are not biblical or right for me. 2. I can't know someone's heart – hearts are deceitful even to ourselves and known only to God.
Great lessons for me tonight. So blessed and going back to read it again.
Your perspective on deceitful hearts was really interesting, I hadn't thought of it that way. I was mostly thinking about my own heart being deceitful, but I think you brought up a really good point. There are so many times that I have a conflict with someone and I wish I had God's power to search the other person's heart to better understand their intentions. Sometimes I read into the words or actions of others too much which results in worry and stress. You helped me realize that I can never truly know the mind and heart of others, only God can, and I should focus on making sure my own mind and heart is right with God and trust that He will work everything out.
I love reading your comments. This is like taking a test, but you get to see the answers. Honestly, I sometimes don't see the message as others do right away. Your comments bring forth so much to think about. Does anyone have any comment on the verse that states " the heart is deceitful, who can understand it anyway?"
Does this refer to the nature of humans and how our desires are driven by worldly things? That God would rather see what our souls hold than to test our hearts that are contaminated by fleshly things? I may be way off here.
Hello & Blessings Sisters,
In these verses the Holy Spirit has shown me that our hearts can be deceitful; depending on whom we choose to rely upon (self/flesh or The Lord) can bring about curses and blessings. I choose to follow His will and be blessed! When we remain confident and hopeful in God’s promises; we are sure to see our Sovereign Father’s faithfulness, no matter what season or circumstance (s) we our encountering at this moment! Once we lean on Jesus and put it in His hands, throughout our trials and tribulations we aren’t focused or concerned on the issues surrounding us because we know we are safe in the bosom of our Almighty Savior! We are calm in the storm because we are abiding in Him and He in us.
Dear, Heavenly Father, I thank You for searching my heart and mind so that I can serve You with a righteous and pure heart. Lord, grant me the strength and ability of Your strong tree to withstand ALL SEASONS! May I continuously be worthy of Your calling, in Jesus name, Amen!
Thanks Angela for the insight on what the word heath means…I was thinking about it but did not take the time to look it up. This is such a wonderful thing we are doing among our sisters in Christ. Everyday I look forward to hearing the thoughts of others. What I am beginning to realize is that we all are doing it God's way…we know that when we try to do it our way…we get stuck and when we get stuck…we call out to our Father. Jeremiah is basically saying…Do it God's way and you will never feel or get stuck. Now how powerful is that!!!!! Love you guys…be well. Dear Father, Thank you for the favor you give to me each and every day. I will always trust and believe in You and You only! Amen
I took the time to look up what a heath was this morning. It's a species of juniper. The Bible dictionary described it as gloomy, shunted in appearance with scale like leaves pressed close to it's gnarled stem. Wow! What a picture of our hearts when we put our trust in man/ourselves.
Jump down to verse 8 and you'll see the awesome contrast that Jeremiah used! I love it. What a great reminder to stay close to the Lord and trust our Father. Abba, I belong to you.
Thanks Angela for the insight on what the word heath means…I was thinking about it but did not take the time to look it up. This is such a wonderful thing we are doing among our sisters in Christ. Everyday I look forward to hearing the thoughts of others. What I am beginning to realize is that we all are doing it God's way…we know that when we try to do it our way…we get stuck and when we get stuck…we call out to our Father. Jeremiah is basically saying…Do it God's way and you will never feel or get stuck. Now how powerful is that!!!!! Love you guys…be well.
This passage in Jeremiah has been a long time favorite. I need to constantly remind myself to not be surprised when people fail me. God's Word makes it clear that only He is completely trustworthy. Even my own thoughts and heart can't be trusted!
I've been feeling rather heavy-hearted lately. The Lord and I have been hashing through some tangled, thorny bramble (choosing to stay with the plant theme here) related to ongoing adult post-adoption issues. I have FEELINGS that keep coming up, that exhaust my mental, emotional and spiritual resources. Especially this time of the year (summer) when we get invited to family gatherings, dinners, events.
The scripture today reminds me that my heart (where my feelings come from) is deceitful above all things and beyond cure (NIV) or desperately wicked (NLT). The Lord alone knows my heart, my secret thoughts, motives, ambitions. I think that's why the Word says that we are to trust God alone. To put our hope and confidence in only Him. Trust in my feelings will fail me and lead me further and further away from God's best. Trust in human reasoning…not gonna work either!
My hope comes in choosing to surrender my heart to God's. To let my roots reach deep into the gentle, flowing stream of His care that refreshes, renews and heals.
Love your words here JuneBug … as a woman our feelings can sometimes be all we see. They overtake us and consume us. Our responses are "uncontrollable" … without God.
My feelings are exactly that, mine and mine alone. They come from my deceitful heart. Each of us need to figure out a way to call on His name in the midst of our feelings. To check ourselves inwardly prior to expressing outwardly. I pray that simply calling on His name will help me align my heart and my feelings in those moments of "crazy".
I pray that I see Jesus more and more as my source. A necessity in life. I want my trust to be found with Him.
Lara, I loved your prayer to "see Jesus more and more as my source." I want to place my complete trust in the Lord, but find myself failing time after time. Being the control freak that I am, I tend to think I've got it all under control rather than it being under God's control. This is something I can pray daily, to put my focus back on Jesus as my source of strength and life. (This is my first post on SRT! Excited to be a part of this amazing community!)
You and Lara said it so beautifully! When I begin to feel overwhelmed by my feelings, I try to focus on a meditation that came to me one time a few weeks ago – "This feeling will pass, it is just a feeling." My acupunturist also taught me this trick – I close my eyes and picture a hurricane on a radar screen (seriously). I place myself in that sweet spot in the center where there are no clouds, no winds. I envision my feelings and the problems I'm having or the people who upset me in the swirling storm around me, but I stay in the calm center. I acknowledge the presence of my feelings & the problems/people furiously swirling around me, but I don't jump out of the eye into the storm. I picture myself waiting there until the "storm" passes – because it always does. I picture myself sitting there with God, in His peace. I don't talk to myself or try to think of anything other than "this feeling/problem/etc. will pass; it is just a feeling." I often hear and feel the Holy Spirit guide me. I'm a very visual person and this meditation has really helped me. It's definitely a work in progress and I found it hard to just sit still and concentrate in the beginning. I also tend to forget to do this sometimes and fly off the handle anyway, but I try!
Thank you for this 'hurricane' tip/tool. When my hurtfilled feelings are swirling inside my heart, I have difficulty finding God's presence. I know he is there, but the 'walls' go up. Reading everyone's comments on this website helps me feel less alone in my struggle to keep those walls from shutting myself off from God and my family. My prayer is to keep tapping into this river of hope and truth that I am finding in She Reads Truth.
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (v.9) stood out to me and made me sad. Such truth but still quite painful. To think that something designed to be good and an aid to us (our hearts) can no longer be trusted because of our sinful nature. Call me melodramatic, but that grieves me sometimes. I'm currently trying to figure that bit out in my own life. I've had history of trusting my heart (and people) too much, but also of closing myself off and becoming hard-hearted. One is kind of a result of the other and that can become a viscous cycle. That's where the trust these verses mention comes in, so that we can be like the tree by the water. Working on that daily. :)
I don't think you're melodramatic at all! Too often i feel the same way, and fall into a cycle of opening my heart- then only to close it up tight because i've felt taken advantage of or hurt for trying to do something from the heart only to be ridiculed or disappointed. I pray everyday for God to soften my heart and to hide His word there. There's comfort in that!
Blessings to you! :)
Verse 5 tell me that if we trust in man we won't be able to see prosperity when it comes and as we're trusting in man we're not trusting God from whom all blessings flow. Also today's reading reminds us that as we trust the Lord he will "supply all our needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus".
Perfect scripture for the day I'm heading to the hospital to be induced. Definitely not *my* plan for this birth, nor was going a week past my due date. I've had to majorly let go and put myself fully into God's hands, relying on His strength for whatever may come.
Praying for you, Mindy! You've got this! #ilovebabies
Praying for a smooth and safe delivery Mama Mindy! What blessing awaits for you and your family! Joyful, joyful!
Best of luck to you and your baby!
"But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence." This verse speaks of choice. We can choose to make so many "things" our hope and confidence, but they will always let us down eventually. I choose to make the Lord both my hope and my confidence. Hope in my heart, confidence in my mind. When I focus on these truths, I have no need to worry about the storms and droughts of life. But… I know I have to make this choice daily because it's so easy to look around this world and this life and become swayed by circumstances.
"They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water." This is one of my very favorite verses and I always picture a beautiful scene in my mind: the French Broad River runs through Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC, and trees are planted along the riverbank. These trees are quite old now and their branches stretch long over the river and their roots run deep and wide along the bank and into the water. Biltmore was a favorite place for mom and me, and we made at least one trip there each year for many years. Those are wonderful memories. The reassurance I feel in my heart when I read or think of that verse and picture that scene in my mind (doing one always conjures up the other)… the peace I feel is beyond words.
Yes, it's all about choice. That's what I got out of reading this scripture today too Lauren. Choosing to trust the Lord.
Btw, your description of the French Broad River paints such a beautiful picture; it makes me want to visit Asheville, NC just to see the trees along the riverbank. Based on your description alone, I can understand why it was such a favorite spot for you and your mom to visit. :)
You should try to visit Asheville if you can, JuneBug! It is a beautiful place. I hope today is a good one for you!
I second that, JuneBug! If you ever have the opportunity, you definitely need to come check Asheville and the surrounding areas out. They definitely don't disappoint!
Amen about those trees along the French Broad! They always catch my eye when I'm out in that area. They are so majestic! Imagine the stories they could tell. Being able to live here in Western NC has definitely made me feel more connected with God. There's something very special about these mountains!
Amen! You are so right – I would love to hear those stories. I'm in Greensboro but I spend as much time as possible in our lovely mountains. I also feel a very powerful connection with God when I'm there, especially after a long hike and I've reached an overlook or summit. My soul sings there! Hope you aren't having any problems with flooding with all this rain. Take care!
My username changed. It's the same Cristen :)
I really feel connected when I'm up on Mt. Mitchell or down in Black Mountain Campground. That's when I've really felt close to Him.
Some of the areas close by had some flooding. Some people had their driveways, bridges and gardens wash out. One of the travel lanes of a major road that leads to my Dad's actually washed out as well. Luckily the South Toe River didn't breach its banks. If it had, things would've been worse.
Y'all are amazing ladies. Really good insights.
Every time I read this passage, I am always struck by the idea of "not being anxious" AND "continuing to bear fruit" in a time of drought. I think of times of "drought" that I have endured – hard financial times, family issues, broken relationships, job disappointments,etc. What does it look like to bear fruit when you consider it a win just to make it through the day? And I am always reminded of Habakkuk 3:17-18.
Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
Joy – a fruit of the spirit. No matter our circumstances, we can have joy because of what God has done for us and we can trust Him because He is good. These two passages just go together in my mind.
I have been witnessing “Blessed is the one who trusts in The Lord” play out in my family’s life over these last couple of months. In May my mother-in-law was diagnosed with a massive brain tumor and underwent surgery to remove it. The surgery itself went amazingly but recovery has been a different story. The journey has been hard, and certainly not one I would choose. However, as we have trusted God, I have seen His love poured out on us. My mother-in-law is still here with us, and we have so much to be thankful for. I would ask for your continued prayers for her. She spent the last week in the hospital with an infection in her incision. She is now home on IV antibiotics, but if those fail she will have to have another surgery to clean out the infection and that will require the removal part of her skull. So far the antibiotics have not been giving the results the doctors would like to see, and another surgery would no doubt be traumatic.
Praying for your MIL and your family.
Praying for your mother-in-law that the Lord who is the Great Physician knows exactly what she needs in order to be well will stretch forth His healing hand and bring total and complete healing to her. Praying also for doctors to have wisdom to know what to do w/o having to do another surgery. Praying the family will have peace and complete trust in the Great Physician.
Sorry to hear recovery has been rough, tnlsmom. Lifting all of you in prayer today! I also read v.14 in Jeremiah:" Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise."
Praying for God’s will to be done so He is glorified, in Jesus name, Amen!
Praying for your mother in law. For God's healing of the infection and that she doesn't need anymore surgery.
Praying…and will continue to.
Wow wow wow! This speaks so intensely to me. I just accepted a job in another state and my husband is looking for work in the same place. We're freaking out because we've drained our savings so that I could finish my Masters and pretty soon, student loans are going to come a-knockin'. I've lived in a pool of stress, battling with myself to let go and LET GOD, but I always fall prey to my worries. "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Fortunately, God can! He knows what my heart feels and says and He will take care of me as long as I put all of my trust in HIM. Amazing!
Throughout the majority of my life, I've been a fearful worrier. Over the past year, however, the fear has taken over complete control of my life almost to a paralyzing level. It's not good, I realize that. I know it's keeping me from being closer to God as well. Definitely not how I have expected my life to go or where I expected to be at this point in life either. The latter part of v.8 (It does not fear…. It has no worries…) really stood out to me and opened my eyes a little wider. Maybe I'm starting to finally realize that if I just let myself believe and trust in Him, I won't suffer and will be okay no matter what the situation may be. If I just completely trust, He will continue to take care of me in the way He has this past year. I need to stop resisting and give Him ALL of the glory! No matter what. Whether I see it as plain as day, or whether it may be a little cloudy.
Amen Cristen!
Cristen, have a look at Matthew 6, 25-34. It is helping me so much in this season of my life!
Going to check that out right now, clim23! Thanks for the suggestion.
On Linda Kuhar's blog today she mentioned Deuteronomy 31:8 which talks about fear. She does a one minute life coaching post each week. Her words were touching, but I also jotted down the verse so I could read it more deeply later. If you are not already familiar with her work, I think I picked it up through the proverbs 31 web page.
Thanks Sheila. I will definitely check it out.
Wiscogirl, I also do the same thing what with praying over and over again! It reminds me of a verse I read somewhere in the old testament- that's a really broad range, I know- but it's where a leader/king keeps asking God about if He'll beable to inhabit and conquer the land over the Jordan. He says that God then becomes angry with him, saying, "I've had enough on this matter, do not talk about it anymore. Look at the Jordan, because I have not planned for you to inhabit and conquer it yourself, but Joshua will. Raise him up and encourage Him in this way." It's a paraphrase, but I remember the "Don't talk about this anymore" tone of God's voice. He's got it; He wants us to move onto bigger and better things. Maybe we shouldn't rely on feeling an emotion of peace and assured-ness and rather rely on the fact that we have peace and are assured of being taken care of?
all of it stuck out to me, but the parts on what kinds of plants a person with and without God are (vs 5-8) really stuck out to me and gave me a good way to look at things: when I try to place myself, I run haggard, blind, and perpetually discontent with my life. When I let God place me, I am at peace, and I can see things for what they really are, no matter what they are. God knows where we will grow best; when I let Him place me, I can truly "bloom where I'm planted." Thank you, Lord, for showing me your ways of peace, truth, patience, adventure, and joy. I love you, Father.
Have a great day girls! I love you all.
The Lord searches the heart and examines the mind (v. 10). This part really stuck out to me. When you truly trust in The Lord, you will pray about the situation, wipe your hands, and walk away. Sometimes I find myself praying over and over about a situation and then constantly worry about it. True confidence comes when you can pray and totally walk away knowing its all taken care of. I want to see myself in a place where my faith in Him is so strong that the spirit of fear doesn't even come over me! A few things I'm praying to The Lord for: purchasing my first home, financial aid for graduate school, weight loss (I just want the best temple for Him), love (I'd love to date right now but God keeps telling me I'm not quite ready), and spiritual growth in Christ Jesus (the most important of them all). I'm the vine and I need to let him prune and cut me so I can be planted by the water!
"When you truly trust in The Lord, you will pray about the situation, wipe your hands, and walk away. Sometimes I find myself praying over and over about a situation and then constantly worry about it. True confidence comes when you can pray and totally walk away knowing its all taken care of."
This is so true, wiscogurl. So true. I find I keep praying the Lord for the same things over and over as well. I pray today that my trust in the Lord may be complete; He examines my mind and my heart, he knows exactly what is on my heart now and he will grant my prayers in good time in his bountiful and merciful grace. Sometime it's hard to understand and accept but I pray that my heart will quieten and wait for His plan to happen in the time He has decided for me.
"When you truly trust in The Lord, you will pray about the situation, wipe your hands, and walk away." <– Well said! This is something I struggle with also. Since God knows exactly what's on our mind and in our heart we probably sound like a broken record with our repetitive praying! ;)
As I read these verses and ask God what it is he wants me to take from this verses 9&10 reverberates in my spirit. I have always had what I would say is a big heart. When I love I love deeply and when I want something I want it badly, both are issues of the heart. Sinning comes from the heart therefore, we can choose whether or not to continue in sin.
However, because God knows the heart he examines it to see what are motives are for committing this sin. Example: why are you praying for that particular man? Why are you really on that committee? Why did you really listen that particular song? Was it to stir up in fleshly emotions? In other words because the heart is deceitful and is prone to sin we need to be very careful of what it does and why. As an old Pastor of mine once said regarding these verses ” check your motives” check your heart”!
On another note: I love these verses because it reminds me that I can’t fool God! He knows my heart and checks it constantly. Therefore he knows my motives for doing what I do and that’s enough for me to “check my motives”! The heart is a deceitful thing and it can get us in a lot of trouble if we don’t keep it in check. We can fall in love with the wrong person because our heart says its right. Been there done that, and still paying for it! We can serve on a certain committee because our heart tells us it’s the right thing to do. When God wants us some where else. When I hear people say follow your heart or what does your heart say. I usually tell them it’s not my heart I want to listen to but Gods voice.
My prayer constantly is “God show me my heart, show me what you see that’s not of you. Cleanse my heart and make it right and pleasing to you. Give me what to pray for that I can have complete deliverance and a pure heart. In Jesus name Amen” I pray this same prayer now over all of us on SRT!
Have a Teriffic Tuesday ladies–
What a good point, "I usually tell them it's not my heart I want to listen to but God's voice." The heart surely IS deceitful, and we can always make excuses for what "IT" wants! I'll definitely be checking my motives more closely in the future. Thank you Sister!
Charmaine,
I receive and appreciate your prayer!
Charmaine, your insight for verses 9 and 10 is great! Those verses stuck out to me right away when I was reading but I was having a hard time grasping verse 9 at first and your comment really helped. I love the prayer that you shared with us. :)
"It's not my heart I want to listen to but God's voice." <– Awesome!
“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 17:7,8 NIV)
It's leaves are ALWAYS green, it has NO worries of being without water supply and NEVER fails to bear fruit! Why? Because she trusts in The Lord, her confidence is in Him and she has taken up residence near the WATER SUPPLY!
Jesus said if you drink of this water you will never thirst again….every time I depend on my own resources I come up EMPTY and DRY…
But if I go to the stream where the LIVING WATER flows continually, where all of my answers can be found…I am never thirsty, I am never without fruit…I do not fear when heat comes…when trials come, when troubles that I can't solve appear, I run to the SUPPLY….
My leaves are always GREEN…they are always FULL of that water! In other words, I am prepared. I have prayed up! I am ready for whatever comes my way!
Wonderful comments that have encouraged me today….bless you all!
CandaceJo,
Some how your CAPS stood out to me as the Holy Spirit impressed God’s (agape) love mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13…thanks!
Oh you are welcome! I'm not sure why I even did that today, it's not normal for me but maybe it was just for you ;) Blessings!
Sorry published too soon baby landed on my arm as I was struggling to type last sentence. All I had left to say was hopefully rambling about trees amd streams made sense to someone else because it did for me, thanks to onerebelheart pointing it out. And it really brought the text home. Loving these couple days of Rythyms so far!
I too was captivated by the imagery this morning. But as I read your comments, onerebelheart, about the difference between a lake and a stream I had a thought. Stream seems to be mentioned a few times but I never thought to consider a contrast. Lakes by and large tend to stay somewhat constant in terms of their water level. But streams can be have differing flows. Being planted by a stream a tree might sometimes have as much water as it wants and sometimes maybe more than it knows what to do with (spring thaws or monsoon season) and other times not as much as it wants (a dry spell or summer heat). But whatever the season, the tree does not have to fear and will always have green leaves and bear fruit because the stream is always there. God is always there, whether I am having a desert time and want more of Him, or am on the peaks and He is right there. Interestingly when water is scarce, trees and plants push their roots closer and closer toward their water source-which is what happens when we are in those desert times as we keep trying to find God, forcing our roots to grow deeper. Sort of dividing my thoughts here as my littlest two dismantle everything ariund me as this is taking so lkng fkr me to tyoe
Chris, this was a beautiful comparison. When we are in trouble or going thru a trial we tend to seek God and get closer to him. When we're trusting him even in times of drought we are always nourished.
How beautifully true Chris! Thank you for this!
Chris,
Thanks for conveying more research on the tree part! Reminds me of it being the tree of life & having the living water at its disposal to drink! :)
I love reading everyone's comments and thoughts here. The verses about the tree stood out to me today. Trees that are always close to their source of nutrients – the stream of water. Like the tree I need to stay close to my Lord. He alone can bring me what I need to grow and bear fruit. This is such a good reminder to me when I'm tempted to miss my morning time with Him so I can get on with my day. He gives me strength to keep me going each day.
Psalm 1.
…even in a season of drought God says will should not even be anxious because we will not cease to bear fruit. What loving reassurance this is from our Heavenly Father.
Amen.
Wow there is so much to study here! Yesterday I was focused on the “pruning” process of the branches to bear more fruit, and today it is all about placing our trust in The Lord. I really don’t think there could have been a better passage for this particular season of my life. Pruning hurts, badly. And sometimes we don’t see a reason for it, but how reassuring to know that our lord does in fact see a reason for it and its so we can look more like him! My husband and I just received news yesterday that he has a job offer in Las Vegas. We are from Texas and have pretty much lived here forever, and this is a shocking change of events! While we are both still in complete surprise over this offer, we are trying our best to trust Gods plan over our own. Psalm 5:8 says “lead me, oh lord, in your righteousness…and make your ways straight before me” that is my prayer for every one of you today! Would we all trust him enough to be like the tree described in Jeremiah who yields fruit even in the drought, and does not fear when the heat comes for his hope is in The Lord.
Wow…big changes ahead! Praying God opens big doors for you! In all things and all seasons there is a reason…trust Him!
Lord, help me to trust You only and not rely on man at all. This is something I constantly am needing to learn.
Reading this section in Jeremiah 2 things jump out. First in verse 7…
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
This has been a favourite verse for me and I always think when I read, "whose trust is the Lord" of a trust account. Something put away for the future that is protected and secure. If we trust the Lord our future is secure.
Secondly, the tree imagery brings me back to Psalm 1
..he is like a tree planted by streams of water…
Abundant life! I wrote a blog post on Psalm 1 with a tree graphic. Here is a link if you want to take a peek. http://scripturesquegraphics.com/psalm-1/
Much Grace
Just read this. Yep me too with Psalm 1. :)
Good stuff Carol! Love the blog post!
Love the graphic! I'm coming back to read the post after SRT. :)
Thanks for looking! My things an graphics and video. I love to worship this way. I hope it lifted you up…
I love reading the comments to see what has popped out for others. I'm stuck on the imagery of the tree planted by the water, that sends out its roots by the stream. Plants and trees need water to live, and a tree by a stream (not a lake, which is still, but a stream, that is continually moving – not sure what to make of that yet) has more than enough water to not just live, but thrive. What I get from that passage is that God provides for us. And He doesn't give us just the bare necessities – He gives us more than enough so that we can not just live but thrive.
And I echo the comment that if/when we put our trust in man and the flesh we turn our hearts away from the Lord. We think we can handle it and we don't need Him. I'd definitely rather be the tree by the stream than the stunted little bush in the salt lands!
What great insight that a stream is a continually moving body of water. I would love to hear more about what God is revealing to you about that! I think you are on to something big. Makes me want to do some digging there too. :)
This verse is such a reminder that there are no games with God. He sees my heart, and knows the unkind thoughts I have. I cannot justify these sinful grumblings just because I'm not speaking them. There is internal heart work to be done, and my Lord is the only surgeon that can complete this operation. "I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."
I pray that when I look back five years from now, that I will know that the the test God is doing on my mind is revealing much fruit for His kingdom, instead of all this repenting and cleanup work that I see today.
What a beautiful confession. I pray that God helps you through these trials and that you will come out more fruitful because of it!
Amen! God bless you!
"There are no games with God." That struck me, and I don't know why. Can't even articulate it, but it definitely struck a chord.
Your insight really spoke to me personally and your last line could have been written by myself. Repenting and cleanup work appear to be my only tasks lately. My heart cannot seem to get in the right 'place'. Sometimes it is nice to know the struggles and feelings of others are similar to my own. Thank you for sharing.
This is a beautiful passage. I’ve been so blessed in my life to have a strong, trusting faith. And yet, verses 5 & 7 spoke to me. Few shorts weeks ago I told my best friend to discover where she find her joy…is it trusting in man or trusting in God. I posted these scriptures on my Facebook in hopes she will see them! Thank you for this community!
Amazing…wow. These really spoke to me as I spent time reading and asking the Holy Spirit to show me deeper meaning and revelation.
It says in v.8 "…and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not CEASE to bear fruit." Even in times of tribulations and hardships, we are ought to bear fruit because we cannot stop bearing the fruit He has given us. We tend to focus on the problems as if the world is gonna end but, c'mon now, Our God is way bigger than all we could possibly go through. After all, we are blessed even in our WORST days.
v.10 The Lord searches the heart and test the mind. He will give every man according to his way and the fruit of his deeds. Once again, He is the one who knows and searches our hearts according to our way and fruit of our deeds. It is so important to know how INTIMATE and MERCIFUL He is for doing that! We don't deserve all that at all but, thank you Jesus for His sacrificial blood-bought love.wow.
Truly blessed by it in tremendous way today. He heard my prayer last night to give me this blessing. Thank you Lord.
When we learn to put our trust cares burdens and worries in our masters hands His Promises are Trueal and True and his words never fail,No matter what the Circumstances He Always come thru.He said Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is.sisters let’s fight the good fight an never give up for our redemtion draweth near.praise the Lord.
I don’t want to be a stunted shrub in the desert! I want to be a big, beautiful tree with delicious fruit by the river! Most days, I feel like a little tree with a few pieces of fruit. Love the imagery and analogy of this passage. If I’m abiding in, trusting in, leaning on God, it doesn’t matter what is going on around me, I can still be flourishing and thriving. I needed this reminder –having been in a financial desert/wilderness for going on 4 years now. The Lord has been faithful, of course. Praise God! Have a lovely, blessed day, ladies!
Amen! :) He loves us so much. He has a divine plan coming ahead of you, that's why you r going through this season of time! :) will pray for you sista Leah!
Thank you!
Yes, thank You Lord for your faithfulness to us, even as we walk through the desert You never fail us. Praying that you begin to see a change in your financial circumstances soon, Leah. Lots of love!
Thank you!
"But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence." V 7
Again, this morning, I am reminded that I can't do this alone. That if I place my TRUST + CONFIDENCE in the Lord, He is there for me. He will care for me. Just like He promised.
"Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders." … these song lyrics popped into my head straight away this morning ;)
Let me walk upon the waters, wherever you may call me! Love that song!!
Over the past year or so (ok, let's face it longer than that) I've truly felt cursed as I've relied on men and my own flesh to strengthen me. Men have failed me and my own flesh has been a weakness at times. But wow! As I'm learning how to put my trust in the Lord, knowing that he will keep his promises, my spirit is being restored and strengthened far beyond what I could imagine – as Jeremiah says, I am being blessed! So grateful for a God that comes through always – even as streams in the parched land!
So refreshed and blessed to read this passage. I needed to hear these words tonight. I have been praying expectantly for God’s will on a mighty issue. I’ve seen evidence of His work for months, weeks & especially the last few days. I learned some news that caused me to doubt, however, in the last couple hours.
Verse 5 spoke so clearly to me: “cursed is the man who trusts in man…” Then verse 7 was my truth: “blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.”
Resting more peacefully this evening because His word reminds me not just to put my trust in Him, but that failing to do so turns my heart from Him.
Praying this passage speaks to many others in whatever situation you may be facing.
Those 2 verses spoke volumes to me also.
It spoke to me also, and when I read what you wrote "failing to do so turns my heart from Him" caused me to reflect on me, not just this other person I'm dealing with.