Solidly Planted

Lately I was reading in Jeremiah 17, verses 7 and 8. It paints a picture of a tree that is planted by a steady stream of water. And even though times of drought came, and even when the heat comes, the tree does not fear because its roots are firmly embedded in the stream. I was thinking when I read this, “Wow, I want my life to be like that tree. That even though hard times come, even through times of drought when God feels like he’s a million miles away, even when the heat comes and my faith is tested, I don’t want to be fearful. Instead, I want my roots in Christ to be firmly planted in the stream of life. I want my leaves to always be green; I always want to be producing good fruit.”

So many times, I forget to go to God right away when trials come, or when a time of testing occurs. So many times I forget that God can handle anything that life throws at me. But how much more do I want my life to be like that tree!

The beautiful part of life is that we never really arrive until we’re in heaven. There is always room for improvement, always room to keep becoming more and more like Jesus on a daily basis. I think that’s the coolest thing ever, because I can always go deeper with God, I can always grow closer to God. There will never be a point in my life where I will cease to want more of God. He’s like a drug; I want more of him every day!

The cool thing about this metaphor is the stream. See, the stream never fails the tree. The stream is constant and dependable, always there to replenish, refresh, and renew. It always provides nutrients that are necessary to keep the tree alive.

In the same way, our Heavenly Father is like that stream. He is constant and dependable, faithful and never failing. He never runs dry, nor does he ever take a break from taking care of us. He is always there to provide nutrients to keep our spiritual life alive. He is always there to renew, replenish, and refresh our spirits. Never does he fail to restore us after a hard week, or after a time of trial. He keeps us alive, spiritually and emotionally as well as physically. If we stay tapped into the stream of life, he will never let us grow thirsty. Like it says in John 4:13, 14, he is our living water and we will never thirst again if we have him.

It says that we are blessed if we trust in him, and have confidence in the Lord. How much trust that tree must have in the stream to provide for it. In the same way, we need to depend on God and trust him to provide for our every need. God is big enough to take care of everything that we could ever need or want in life. But it takes a spirit of faith for the impossible to occur.

“But blessed are those who trust 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