Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. 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 17:7-8
Many years ago, Mom asked Dad if he’d plant a grapefruit seed from a grapefruit she’d eaten. Quite simply, she wanted to see what would happen.
A lot happened.
That little seed, diligently nurtured and watered by their faith, produced a tree several feet tall that provided ample shade and an abundance of plump, sweet grapefruit.
The effort to collect the fruit took ingenuity. One of my brothers climbed a stepladder and thrust the end of a garden hoe at the sagging limbs while I stood below, palms ready.
I captured several. Yay!
Some struck the pebbled patio. Splat!
One renegade fruit smacked me on the head after I’d misjudged its trajectory. Ow!
When a hard freeze hit Texas about this time last year, it took the life of Mom’s grapefruit tree. Efforts to revive it involved cutting it down to a stump.
For weeks, the stump sat unproductive.
Lifeless.
Hopeless.
Until a couple months ago when a little shoot with vibrant leaves appeared, bearing evidence the old roots had smelled water and drawn moisture from the soil.
When we place our trust in the Lord, we are like a tree that organically sniffs out the water of life, extends its roots, and prospers in His presence.
Heat of adversity will come in many forms, but when our confidence is in the Lord, we’ll produce green leaves
In the darkness of this fallen world, who needs to see the evidence of greenery in our lives?
In drought ... or hard freezes ... we’ll bear fruit.
Who in our sphere of influence might be spiritually malnourished, drawing from a pool of empty resources?
Looking for life in the lifeless, squeezing water from rocks.
In the midst of deep misery, Job distinguishes between the life of a human and a tree …
At least there is hope for a tree; if it is cut down, it will sprout again and its new shoots will not fail. Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant. Job 14:7-9
If a tree sniffs out water, we who know the Lord should do no less.
When our confidence in His love for us remains steadfast in hardship, we will bud anew at the scent of water.
Jesus.
Our Living water.
When life heats up—and it will—the world is watching.
When the thirsty and hopeless loll their empty gaze our direction, will they see leaves that never fail and a serene, calm demeanor?
Yes ... if we’ve placed our trust in the Lord in drought and intense heat.
Are you feeling spiritually dry? Are you abiding in Jesus? Have your leaves withered?
Send out your roots. Because blessings await those who trust in the Lord, respond to the scent of water, and drink large draughts of His life-giving nourishment.
Thanks for reading!
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Until next time,
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