YOU ARE BLESSED

Jeremiah 17:7-8 New Living Translation

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.  Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.  Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”

       What a mental picture Jeremiah paints for us. A tree planted by a stream feeding it nourishment continuously. Have you ever known such a place? I have. I used to take long walks on Saturdays during my teen years. The serenity of those walks was unparalleled. The writer states that the person who places his trust in the Lord is blessed, not was blessed or will be blessed, but is blessed. That is to say that followers of Christ are highly favored.  God favors His children and if you are a true believer in Christ, then you are highly favored by God. What a wonderful thing to hear.  Don’t just read it and run.  Meditate on it.  Consider who you are to God. Consider who God is. Consider who you are in God.  Consider where you would be without him.  Do you realize what an honor and privilege it is to not just be favored, but highly favored by the creator of the entire universe? This isn’t a blanket of favor that is dropped over all humanity; it is for those who have placed their faith and trust in Him. 

       Verse 5 of this same chapter speaks of those who put their trust in mere mortals.  Mortal man, with his human strength and finite intellect, has nothing to offer us other than flawed reasoning and limited resources.  The Lord clearly states that those who place their trust in them will turn their hearts away from God and be stunted like undernourished shrubs in the desert.  There is no hope for those who turn from God.

       Our walk with God shouldn’t consist of merely seeking him when we are in dire need. We are to devote our entire life to him. Though it is not specifically stated, the implication in the above verses is that we are to give our entire life over to Him and trust Him no matter what comes our way. We are to rely on Him in all situations and circumstances. May the Lord enable us to do just that all the days of our lives.  Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible; published by Tyndale House.