The book of Jeremiah teaches us the importance of hoping in God and the blessings it brings to our lives!
Thus says the Lord:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes flesh his strength,
Whose heart departs from the Lord.
For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,
And shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
In a salt land which is not inhabited.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:5-8
Those who trust in man and rely on their own strength their hearts begin to grow cold towards the Lord. This is a starting point of spiritual dryness and feeling like they are in a desert. Putting trust in man becomes a curse for the person, and it also leads to relationships breaking down in people’s lives. However, many don’t recognize that the root of the issue is due to self-reliance.
If you have ever spent any time in a desert, you know that after a while all you see is dirt and tumbleweeds. There is nothing to look forward to, and it feels like the desert will never end. That is the state of those who live their lives relying on themselves or putting their hope in man. They actually begin to lose hope because they were not meant to put their trust and hope in the created beings.
The Lord spoke to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29:11 that He was going to give His people hope and a future if they returned from their evil ways. So hope is a blessing and a gift from the Lord that we can possess. This gives us the opportunity to put our hope in God and trust Him, which leads us to the above passage and the importance of hoping in God.
The scripture tells us that those who trust in the Lord are blessed. Those who put their hope in the Lord have a flourishing life. They also enjoy continual God’s hand in their lives. While heat and difficulties may come, these individuals are not afraid. They are also not anxious about the drought. Because their hope is in the Lord, they know that their circumstances shall pass and God will provide. They remain in peace and the rest of God. This results in yielding fruit even in dry seasons. On the other hand, those who are dry spiritually are anxiously running around because they are restless about their state in life.
The truth is that hoping in the Lord begins a cycle of blessing and fruitfulness that continues to build more trust and hope in God knowing that He has come through in the past and He will come through again.
Where do you put your hope? Is your hope in the Lord? Is it in yourself? Or is it in others? Have you been angry and disappointed because things have not gone your way or others have let you down? Mediate on the above passage and allow the Lord to show you the areas that may need adjustment.
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