GOD BLESSES THOSE WHO CLING TO HIM

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Sheep and goats. Wheat and weeds. The wise man and the fool. The blessed and the cursed.

Have you ever noticed how the Bible repeatedly divides people into two categories? One bunch consistently looks to God in faith and seeks to serve him. The other group largely ignores God and lives independently of him.

When the prophet Jeremiah was moved by God to contrast these two types of people, he pictured those who rely on God and obey his Word as being vibrant and fruitful—like lush trees blossoming alongside a river. Those who shut God out of their lives were compared by Jeremiah to “a bush in the wastelands” (Jeremiah 17:6).

It’s a vivid contrast. In which group are you? 

GOD’S PROMISE TO ME:

• I bless those who trust me.

• Those who trust me prosper and bear fruit in hard times.

MY PRAYER TO GOD:

You are my hope and confidence, Lord. I trust in you. Draw me ever closer to you and give me a passion to seek you. I want to be fruitful even during life’s hard times. It is only when I put my roots deep into you and your Word that I am able to endure dry spiritual times. Amen.