“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
I opened our staff meeting one morning some time ago by asking
what God has been speaking to you about
; the first thing that came up was “trust.” Ironically and not accidentally, I had already been reading in Jeremiah 17 that morning. Trust is a big word in fact, a huge word as it applies to life and relationships.
Our conversation evolved around trusting God more, in more ways and circumstances. As we look at the passage above it describes a person who trusts God as “blessed.” But it further describes what he means as it says those who have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
Where, who or in what is your confidence today? Is it in your career, paycheck, in people, the government, banks or your own abilities? Those things can only take us so far and they are limited in scope. Did you know that God has no limited scope; His mercies are everlasting?
So why is it so hard to trust in the Lord with all your heart, not leaning on your own understanding? I believe it’s because we live in a place of our
own understanding
; we see circumstances with our eyes and we tend to immediately assess the situation and outcome based on what we
see
.
Trust is looking at things based on what we
know
; based on truth, the
truth
of God’s Word. What we see may seem overwhelming or impossible but what we know (God’s Word) is that if we trust Him we will be like that tree that flourishes in all seasons and climate changes. You see, our lives are a series of seasons that always change, sometimes without warning.
But if our trust is in the right person, we will not wilt under the heat, in fact He says we will flourish and not stop being productive. Wow, what a promise; is that true in your life today? Do you believe it can be? Trust can be a hard thing; it can even be painful at times. Trusting God completely is what He desires us to do; but it’s also something that takes discipline and practice; it takes faith and faith has to be built over time.
So my encouragement to you today is to trust God, trust His Word and believe it will bring blessings on your life. Keep your faith green and growing like a tree planted by the river! Don’t fear when the heat is on; don’t get anxious when you’re in a drought, trust in the Lord!
This is the season of
peace
; Christmas seems to be about a lot of things, but it’s really about peace. The Commercial Christmas doesn’t give peace, it only gives a temporary happy and in many instances, it actually brings depression and anxiety. During this Christmas season I encourage you to seek the peace that only Jesus can give, the peace that passes understanding.
Our next Family Movie Night is December 13
th
and don’t forget our Family Christmas Eve Celebration 5:30-6:30 pm. Invite your friends, neighbors, classmates and co-workers to join in worship, fellowship and goodies for all ages!
Blessings!
Pastor Leonard
