A Tree Planted by Water
I do not know about you, but for me, the events of 2023 have left me exhausted. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Economic uncertainty. The divisive battles over hot topic items such as abortion and gun rights. Extreme weather. The mental health crisis. The continual drip drip drip of Covid, RSV, flu. In fact, the hospital my wife works at is back to wearing masks again. The upcoming presidential election will likely be one like we have never seen before.
Maybe for you, it is all that and more. Closer to home it might be health issues. Relational struggles. More bills to pay than there is money for. Addiction. Abuse. A child gone off the rails. Caring for aging parents. You yourself aging and all the changes that brings. The recent death of a loved one. My wife and I have been fighting sickness for much of December. Nothing major, but not feeling well, especially during the holidays, has us tired and ready for better days ahead.
I think you will agree that there is an endless menu of things, both close to home and all around the world, to choose from that cause us to find peace, hope, joy, and love hard to come by. The question is where do we look to find the peace, hope, joy, love we all desire? Do we look to man and manmade things? Those will eventually fail us. Sure, we can find temporary solace in a walk on the beach, a quiet weekend unplugged from devices, reading a good book, and for me, even in the art therapy I do to help my stroke-injured brain calm down. But let’s be honest. As soon as we re-engage in the world, the peace, hope, joy, love we found is gone.
So then, where can we look? A passage of scripture found in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah gives us the answer. Here is what we read in Jeremiah 17:5-8, taken from The Voice Bible translation –
“Cursed is the one who trusts in human strength and the abilities of mere mortals. His very heart strays from the Eternal. He is like a little shrub in the desert that never grows; he will see no good thing come his way. He will live in a desert wasteland, a barren land of salt where no one lives. But blessed is the one who trusts in Me alone; the Eternal will be his confidence. He is like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots beside the stream. It does not fear the heat or even drought. Its leaves stay green and its fruit is dependable, no matter what it faces.”
Putting your complete trust in Jesus will not take away the storms and the droughts. However, putting your trust in Jesus will keep you anchored during the storms and nourished during your droughts. So, as we look to say goodbye to 2023 and start the new year, why not ask God to give you a faith that keeps you nourished both day and night, in the light and the dark, when the skies are sunny or when they are cloudy, and in the good and in the bad.
Go ahead, right now ask God to increase your faith so you can draw nourishment for your roots and be like a tree planted by the water – not fearing when the heat comes, always having green leaves, not worrying about droughts, and always bearing fruit.
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