“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” – Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT)
I recently read through the book of Jeremiah. Actually, I recently finished reading it. I started it way back in July. Honestly, it took me so long because it was a difficult book to read. There were a lot of chapters about battles and cities and Kings and prophets. It was hard to keep it all straight.
But every now and again, I find a gem of a verse that made me stop and really reflect on it. Jeremiah 17:7-8 was one of those verses.
“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence…”
I don’t know about you, but I’ve lost almost all trust in doctors, treatments, and medications. I realize that the only hope I have is an intervention from God. Perhaps He’ll intervene by using one of those doctors, treatments, or medications, but those things simply have not worked on their own.
“…They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water…”
I sure don’t feel like a strong, lush tree lately! But this verse tells me that putting my hope and confidence in the Lord gives me deep roots that will nourish and sustain me.
“…Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought…”
Here in California we’re in the middle of one of the worst droughts in a century. The hills are brown, counties are talking about water restrictions, and I feel guilty whenever I take a shower longer than 5 minutes. The plum tree in my front yard hasn’t had any water in at least two months. Last summer, I was convinced we wouldn’t have any plums because the tree went for months without water. But I was wrong. We still harvested HUGE amounts of plums. Why? The tree has been in this yard for at least a decade and it has deep roots. Oh, I pray that we are all like my plum tree. We face the drought of infertility, but may we be so rooted in God’s hope that we are not bothered or worried by it.
our plum tree
“…Their leaves stay green and they never stop producing fruit.”
Even if the drought of infertility is permanent for me, I want my life to be fruitful in other ways. I don’t want to be spiritually and emotionally dead. I want my “leaves” to still be green. For me, that will require being anchored in God’s hope. I may age past the point of still hoping for a baby, but I can have confidence that my life still has meaning and purpose in God’s plan.
What are your thoughts on this verse? Please share in the comments below.
Image courtesy of Caleb George via UnSplash
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