Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 17: 7-8

I don’t know if you’ve read through Jeremiah or not, but if so, you know that much of Jeremiah’s prophecy is directed at the imminent exile of the Jewish people from their homeland. But inside those dire prophecies is hope for those who will devote themselves completely to God.

The passage above is a great example of what we can expect when we trust in the Lord completely. The imagery of a tree planted by the water is clear, isn’t it? In my mind’s eye I can see the mature maple tree in our backyard that is literally growing out of the bank of the small creek behind our house.

While some of the newer plants on our hillside struggle in the heat of the summer, the tree shows no stress. It’s leaves are green and in just a couple months it will provide us with some great fall color.

Notice that the Lord doesn’t promise Jeremiah (or us) that we would never feel the heat of life’s experiences. But He does promise that dependence on Him should alleviate our anxieties. Centuries later, Peter will remind us to cast “all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you”(1 Peter 5:7).

Here’s a verse worth committing to memory:

“I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me”(Psalm 16:8).