“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 in 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

All Dried Up

(I hope you didn’t skip reading the above Scripture just because it’s long…)

My mom’s aunt was an accomplished pen-and-ink artist living in Arizona. She drew desert landscapes for her Christmas cards every year, and I was always the recipient of one of these masterpieces. I’m sure that to her, the desert was absolutely stunning in its beauty, but to my way of seeing, I could think of nothing uglier than a barren, dried up land, with small hills, cactus, roadrunners, and stunted, dried-up shrubs. I’d been to the desert many times, and found nothing redeeming about it as a vacation spot. (I don’t intend disrespect to those who find beauty in the desert. Stay with me here…)

In Scripture, one whose heart has departed from the Lord, one who trusts in her own strength, is just like a small, struggling, stunted shrub in a dry land. She rarely grows. She is parched, yet doesn’t partake of the living water because, after all, she found she can stay alive by just soaking up a bit of overnight dew. She doesn’t even know that she is consumed with survival—so consumed that she can’t see the goodness of God when it comes her way. Since the land is “salt,” nothing of real value can grow, and what does grow is not healthy. No one else wants to live there, giving rise to complaints of “No one understands me; I am alone in this.” She has chosen this life of “I can go it alone, I am strong—I am woman, hear me roar.”

The contrast in the Word comes immediately after. Willows, cottonwoods, pines, and all other sorts of trees grow strong beside rivers, streams, and lakes. The woman who hopes and trusts in the Lord—planted by the rivers of Living Water—is fruitful in her season. The very look of her is health and prosperity of spirit. She does not fear dry seasons, because the supply of Living Water is abundant and eternal.

We have a choice: Live parched and alone, or live filled and connected. Live with stunted, struggling roots, or live with a healthy, spread-out connectivity. Live a life of searching to have your thirst quenched, or live in a place where you can continually partake of His Living Water. A constant state of communion and fellowship with God brings health in every conceivable way.

It’s vital to realize that we have a choice where we put down our roots. Each of us.

Father, forgive me when I think I can make it without You. Dig me out of those parched places, and re-plant me by the rivers of Living Water. Amen.