7 Happy are those who trust in the LORD,
who rely on the LORD.
8 They will be like trees
planted by the streams,
whose roots reach down to the water.
They won’t fear drought when it comes;
their leaves will remain green.
They won’t be stressed
in the time of drought
or fail to bear fruit.
(Jeremiah 17:7–8)
They Won’t
Good Day Family,
We often focus on how Christians should live—our faithful response to a life with Jesus. We fix our attention on the hope of the good news and how that should impact our attitude and behavior. There is definitely discussion of what we shouldn’t do. Just think of the Ten Commandments. It’s often presented as a list of “Thou Shalt Not” even when the first commandments express how we should act and orient ourselves toward God. But still those are largely centered on behavior.
This passage is rooted in how we feel. Happy, fear, stress—all those terms relate to emotions rather than actions. Jeremiah’s prophesy isn’t dictating behavior; it’s emphasizing attitude. Jeremiah was known as the crying prophet. He knew how to lament the state of humanity and the people of God. He bemoans the lack of faithfulness and called the people to repentance. But here he provides the key to happiness, avoiding stress as well as fear—trusting in God.
Trust, of course, doesn’t come easy. Times get hard and that makes it harder to hold onto the promises of God. Uncertainty surrounds us and trust struggles to rise above our circumstances. Trust must be grown and nurtured. Trust is a daily decision—sometimes made minute by minute as doubts multiply and increase without effort.
How then do we build trust in God? By taking our doubts and our fears to the Lord. We increase trust by being honest and transparent with our uncertainty and stress. We take all those feelings to God, who can handle it, who wants it, and who responds to it. God comes to us and wants us, in turn, to come to God. That’s relying on God, and relying leads to trusting as we see how able and willing God is to hold our problems and to carry us in the midst of our difficulties.
Trusting in the Lord,
Be well,
Pastor Cheryl
We are the church and as we gather, in whatever form that may be, to worship, fellowship and serve, the church is alive and well.
Let us encourage one another. Remain safe and check in on one another. We will get through this, and when we do…and look back on the other side…we will be stronger, more grateful, and more connected than ever.