Roots by the river
“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.”Jeremiah 17:7-8
Reflection
Jeremiah draws two kinds of people with the image of two trees. The first, in the previous verse, is a lonely shrub in the desert, which trusts in its own strength and lives in dry ground. The second is this one: "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is". Notice the text does not only say that he trusts, it says his hope IS the Lord. It is not confidence in an idea, in a savings reserve or in a well-built plan, but in Him, personally.
See what the Bible says about this tree: it "shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit". Notice that the heat does come, and so does the drought. The tree planted by the river is not exempt from hard times. The promise is not a life without scorching summers or years of drought, but the ability to go through them without withering. Faith does not remove the heat, it changes what happens to you inside it.
The secret is hidden, under the ground: "spreadeth out her roots by the river". No one sees roots, but they are what holds up what everyone sees. And notice the verb: the tree SPREADS OUT its roots, toward the water. Trust in God is built by daily choices, small and invisible: praying when you do not feel like it, opening the Bible on an ordinary day, forgiving, obeying, giving thanks. It is when the drought comes that we discover how much root went down in the season of rain.
What season are you living in? If it is rain, use it to send roots down, without waiting for drought to seek God. If it is strong heat, keep spreading them: an honest prayer, a page of the Word, a conversation with someone of faith, even when tired. The water that sustains the tree does not run out, and roots that reach for the river do not come back empty. Trust in the Lord, and your leaf will stay green.
Prayer
Lord, I want my trust to be You Yourself, not my reserves or my plans. Teach me to spread my roots in Your direction every day, in the season of rain and in the season of drought. May I not wither when the heat comes, and may I never cease from yielding fruit for Your glory. Amen.
Put it into practice
Choose one "root" to strengthen this week (daily prayer, Bible reading, fellowship with the church, gratitude) and keep to it every day, even when you do not feel like it. At the end of the week, write down what you noticed.
To reflect on
What season are you in right now (rain or drought), and what "root" can you spread today toward the river?
Bible text: King James Version (public domain).