A Tree Planted by Water
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.”
“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 17:5-8 (ESV)
I love the imagery in this passage. A tree full of life with its roots right down to the river; contrasted directly with a desert shrub parched with thirst in a salt land. Sometimes I think that it says all that is needed. I know that is an overstatement, but when you boil Christianity right down to its essence you find that trusting in the Lord is really the whole point. These two stark images are each the result of one’s placement of absolute trust. Place your trust in the Lord and live life abundantly, or the other, the constant thirsting with no real hope at all as the consequence for trusting in man. This illustration is a picture of the immense value of trusting in the Lord, and the total futility of trusting in oneself.
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3 (ESV)