Reflecting the Image

Observation:

Jeremiah reminds us that we are to place our trust in the Lord.

This is not a kind of shallow trust, but a deeply rooted trust where all of life rests upon the Lord. Not only does life rest on the Lord, but life is fed by the Lord. That’s why the illustration of the tree speaks to us.

This doesn’t mean that life doesn’t get hard. The sun shines, the heat comes, and yet the leaves are still green. And then Jeremiah speaks to anxiety. From all the outward signs, the tree should be anxious, but it doesn’t need to be. Because even in the season of drought, it still bears fruit.

Why?

Its roots are by the stream.

Application:

Trees are on my mind. We had ten trees planted on our property yesterday. It is 100F outside today. Probably not a great time to be planting trees! But the most important part right now is planning the watering. How are we going to get all of these trees watered? We bought 300 feet of soaker hoses! Hopefully, that will do the trick.

But I’m anxiously watching the trees — because I’ve had some die. One of the trees planted yesterday was a replacement for one that did die. I water and I pray that the leaves stay green!

In the Christian life, it is the stream that waters. In Ezekiel we find that beautiful imagery of a stream bringing life everywhere it goes — an image that makes me think of the life-giving work of the Holy Spirit. Maybe Jeremiah is reminding us today that we need to put our roots down deeply into the life of God. We need to live in the stream of the Holy Spirit, where we are fed on a daily basis. We are well watered, and the leaves stay green — even when it’s 100F outside!

The tree beside the stream doesn’t get to choose the weather. The heat still comes. There are still seasons of drought. But its source of life remains.

There are plenty of things in life about which we could become anxious. Jeremiah reminds us to look beneath the surface. Where have we put down our roots? Where is our source of life?

If our roots are deeply planted in the Lord, then even when life gets tough, we can remain beside the stream.

Resting.

Relaxing.

Trusting.

Prayer:

Lord, as I water the trees this evening, help me to trust in You. There are things in life about which I could be anxious, and so I ask You to help me put my roots down deeply into Your life-giving presence. Help me to stop fighting and rest beside the stream of Your Spirit. Amen.