A Constant Source of Water

"This is what the LORD says: 'Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORd, whose confidence is in him. He 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 17:5-8

A similar passage to this one says that a man who delights in God's law "is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, and whose leaf does not wither" (Psalm 1:1-3). I took this to mean that those who followed God's law received nourishment and refreshment. Jeremiah suggests the same thing in this passage; those who trust in the LORD are fruitful. What I noticed today, however, is that the tree isn't just well-watered because there happens to be a lot of rain. It's healthy because whether there is rain or not it remains by the stream, rooted in a place of safety and refreshment.

Jesus commanded his disciples, "Remain in me," and noted that those who are not are like a branch "that is thrown away and withers" (John 15:4, 6). We wither and dry up when we step away from God and His Word. We may get some rain here and there, but this world has a lot of "parched places" filled with withered people who have walked away from their Creator. If we stay close to God, if we keep him near to our hearts, and if we daily immerse ourselves in His precious Word, then that Word promises that we will not need to worry when trouble or "drought" comes--we will find our strength and renewal in God and continue to be fruitful.