But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in
Him. - Jeremiah 17:7
Have you ever considered at what point a test becomes so difficult that you decide you can no longer trust in God and you must take over to solve the problem? The prophet Jeremiah describes a situation in which the temptation to solve a financial problem can become so great that we trust in man's way to solve it.
This is what the Lord says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him (the requirement). He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit (all the promises that goes along when you fulfull the one requirement!)" (Jeremiah 17:5-8).
Jeremiah drew a sharp comparison between the man who trusts in his own effort to solve his problem and the man who trusts in God when he cannot see the outcome. The man who trusts in God bears fruit despite the circumstances in his life. He does not shrivel when the heat comes; in fact, his roots go deeper into God's grace. He continues to bear fruit in spite of his circumstances.
Recently, a friend from South Africa explained to me that whenever a plant lives in an arid climate, the roots drive deeper and deeper into the soil to get the water they need. This forces the plant to develop a root system that is far beyond the normal plant because it is forced to
go deeper to gain the water it needs. Sometimes God forces us to go deeper into the grace of His love in order to build a greater foundation in our own lives. These lean times are designed to accomplish this in us. If you find yourself in this condition, ask the Lord who provides the water for our soul for the grace you need today to continue to bear fruit in the desert.
Through the Strom by Yolanda Adams
The storms of life will blow
They're sure to come and go
They meet us all at a time
When I'm calm and doing fine
But the Captain of my soul
He's always on board
He rocks me in His arms
While riding through the storm
While riding through the storm
Jesus holds me in His arms
I am not afraid
Of the stormy winds and the waves
Though the tides become high
He holds me while I ride
I find safety in the Master's arms
While riding through the storm
I have no fear of the raging seas
Knowing Jesus will forever be right here with me
He can speak to the wind to my enemies and to the waves
And He make them all behave
All power's in the Master's hand
when I'm on sea or dry land
I found safety in the Master's holding arms
While riding through the storm
While through the storm
Jesus holds me in his precious arms
I'm not afraid of the stormy wind
no no
The storms of life will blow
They're sure to come and go
They meet us all at a time
When I'm calm and doing fine
But the Captain of my soul
He's always on board
He rocks me in His arms
While riding through the storm
While riding through the storm
Jesus holds me in His arms
I am not afraid
Of the stormy winds and the waves
Though the tides become high
He holds me while I ride
I find safety in the Master's arms
While riding through the storm
I have no fear of the raging seas
Knowing Jesus will forever be right here with me
He can speak to the wind to my enemies and to the waves
And He make them all behave
All power's in the Master's hand
when I'm on sea or dry land
I found safety in the Master's holding arms
While riding through the storm
While through the storm
Jesus holds me in his precious arms
I'm not afraid of the stormy wind
no no
Labels: Characters, My Everything