“Bless is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is in the Lord.”
Jeremiah 17:7
If you were asked to define trust, how would you respond?
Trust is define in Webster as an ”assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.”
Digest that definition of trust for a minute.
Ask yourself – where do I place my trust?
I absolutely love Jeremiah 17:7-8. These verses speak volumes on the beauty of trusting in God. It gives us great hope in what God can do when we trust in Him. He will always nourish us and bring life within. Even in the drought or in distress, He will bear fruit in us.
I often question myself in where I place my trust. In fact, I often feel I fail at trusting God when circumstances hit and I run straight to a friend for comfort and consultation instead of to God in prayer. Of course, it’s never a bad idea to seek wise counsel from a friend. I think we should first approach God and seek His wisdom and guidance. Just maybe He isn’t pointing you to that friend but He wants to handle it a bit differently.
Jeremiah 17:10 tells us that He “probes the mind and tests the heart.” He also paints an image for us when we trust in God – we will be like a tree, planted near the water where our roots will stretch, our leaves remain green and we bear fruit even in our darkest moments. In Ephesians 3:17, St. Paul reminds us that we are strengthened though the Holy Spirit, allowing Christ to dwell in our hearts, rooting us in love.
There goes that word LOVE again.
Could we say this nourishment God provides when we trust is Love? Could we say that when we truly trust in God, surrender to Him all things, His love fills us and provides nourishment in all seasons of our lives? Growing us in the harsh seasons as well as the warmth seasons?
I’m learning to search for the theme in the daily readings. This morning as I was reading them. I was drawn to Jeremiah 17:7-10 and just breezed over verses 5 and 6. As I read the gospel reading from Luke 16:19-31, I realized that those first few verses were also important to the message today. In the gospel reading, Jesus shares a story with us today. It’s a very important story about trust and where we place our trust. In some sense, it could be seen as a warning if we aren’t placing our trust in God. In the story, we see two individuals, Lazarus and a rich man. From the details, we can infer that Lazarus placed his trust in God and the rich man in his wealth.
I think, the message in Jeremiah 17:5-10 is illustrated in the gospel of Luke. When we place our trust in God, there is hope of something better, something beyond our comprehension. When we place our trust in the world, we may have temporary enjoyment but when the drought comes, life will not prevail, the season will not change.
Perhaps the invitation today is a question. Am I the rich man or am I Lazarus? Where am I placing my trust? What am I relying on for character, strength, ability and truth?
Lord, I surrender all things in my life to You today. I place my trust and hope in You, knowing that You have planted me near the running waters and through You I will always be nourished and bear fruit. Amen
Women Who Walk By Faith 
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