ALWAYS GREEN

(Pastor Nathan has been asked to write a series of devotions on Jeremiah 17:5-8 for a future edition of the Meditations devotion book. This is the fifth of six devotions on Jeremiah 17:5-8.)

They 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. (Jeremiah 17:8)

Have you ever seen a towering willow tree? It’s one of the most impressive sights in God’s creation. When a willow tree grows next to a stream, its massive trunk seems immovable. Its many strong branches reach up to the sky, while its leaves hang all the way down to the ground. Its roots sink down so deep that they never fail to find water. Can you picture a tree like that?

It never seems worried. It doesn’t shake when the wind blows. It doesn’t wilt in the summer heat.

That’s the person who trusts in the Lord. The blessed believer in God is like that towering willow tree. This tree is altogether different than the dry, desert bush that symbolized the person who trusts in man. The person who trusts in God is planted firmly on the unshakable foundation of Christ. He or she is rooted in God’s Word. Dry desert bushes can be pulled right out of the ground, but have you ever pushed a tree over? Of course not! It’s always green.

Notice that there will still be difficulties, even for the blessed believer. The heat will still come. Whether you trust in the Lord or not, you are going to face conflicts and controversies and trials. The droughts will still come. Whether you trust in the Lord or not, you are going to face seasons in life when everything seems dead and dry and empty. Heat and drought come to everyone, but like that massive willow tree, the blessed believer isn’t worried. He or she always produces fruit.

How? Because faith recognizes that God uses even the worst heat and droughts to bless his people. The apostle Paul learned that. God permitted a thorn in Paul’s life—a severe trial that plagued him. Three times, Paul prayed to God to take that thorn away, but God didn’t. Instead, God told Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). So Paul learned to say, “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

When you trust in the Lord, the trials of life only push your roots down further into God’s grace and promises. Like that towering willow, your leaves are always green.

Dear Jesus, plant me firmly in you and your Word, so that my leaves stay green even in the heat and droughts of life. Amen.

Pastor Nathan