Hey, Everybody!
Soon after this post is published, I’ll be on a plane to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for this weekend’s Living Proof Live. I love going to the Dakotas so I am filled with joy over the privilege to serve there and anticipating God’s gracious and obvious (please let it be, Lord) presence crowded around us and welling up within us. Please pray for Jesus to be exalted, experienced, and enthroned there and for many to be saved and stunningly delivered.
My Scripture memory selection this week is springing up from my Monday morning reading there in my den at home. I’ve mentioned many times that I use a different translation for my devotional and prayer time so that the words will fall particularly fresh on me and so that, if the reading happens to be a familiar segment, I can’t anticipate it and unintentionally dismiss it. The translation I often use is The NET Bible. I’m going to give you the whole segment I read Monday morning so that you’ll see the verse I’ve chosen this time around in its context. This is Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NET):
17:5 The LORD says,
“I will put a curse on people
who trust in mere human beings,
who depend on mere flesh and blood for their strength,
and whose hearts have turned away from the LORD.
17:6 They will be like a shrub in the desert.
They will not experience good things even when they happen.
It will be as though they were growing in the desert,
in a salt land where no one can live.
17:7 My blessing is on those people who trust in me,
who put their confidence in me.
17:8 They will be like a tree planted near a stream
whose roots spread out toward the water.
It has nothing to fear when the heat comes.
Its leaves are always green.
It has no need to be concerned in a year of drought.
It does not stop bearing fruit.
If you are like me, you found the way the NET translates the very first verse (V.5) a little disturbing. You’ll be relieved to know this isn’t the Scripture I’ve chosen to memorize (smiling) but it still needs addressing so that we’re not too distracted by it to engross ourselves in the remainder of the segment. If you’re familiar with the passage, you are probably more accustomed to wording like the NIV: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man.” The fact that the NET makes God the one “putting” the curse on man makes us squirm. Before we let it tie us in a knot and throw us in a lake of fear, we have to remind ourselves of our position in Christ. We have the glorious benefit of living this side of the completed work of the Cross and resurrection.
Galatians 3:13 says to our great relief: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.'”
Jeremiah 17:5 is still tremendously relevant to us because it unfolds the misery of counting on mere flesh and blood. I wonder if the “curse” talked about in this verse is of the same ilk as the one in Genesis 3 that came directly from God to man after the fall in the Garden. If Adam and Eve were doing anything at all when they ate from that tree, they were shifting their trust from God to themselves – mere flesh and blood – by attempting to be God-like. Though the Cross of Christ bore the curse for us, we can still endure the desolation that invariably results from placing our trust and confidence in people rather than God. This gets us where we’re going in our post today. Look back at Jeremiah 17:6 because this is the part that totally captivated me.
“They will be like a shrub in the desert. They will not experience good things even when they happen.”
Read it again if you need to but don’t proceed until you’ve tried to absorb that second sentence. Have you ever been right in the middle of something good happening and yet missed the full experience and joyful impact of it? Surely you’ve said silently to yourself as I’ve said to myself, “I should really be happy right now. What is wrong with me??” You know the feeling. You’re in a celebration or service of some kind or a holiday gathering and yet you almost feel detached from it. You’re there. But you are somehow disconnected from experiencing it. You know “it” (the positive thing presently happening) but you can’t feel it. It’s a good thing but you don’t feel good about it…or in it. What on earth is that about?
Jeremiah would suggest that the experience of good can be disconnected from the good because we are in a season of shifted trust from God to man. When we’ve set our hopes for happiness in how well all our people are doing…getting along…flourishing…affirming us…satisfying us…and all-around-generally-blessing us, and we even get a glimmer of it, we can’t experience the good because we know down deep that we can’t hold onto it. As much as we love all our people, we know that, ultimately, they are not going to come through for us. One shoe will drop. Then the other. The disappointment will come. And the harmony we feel for this moment with our fellow humans could at any second flip upside down into complete mayhem.
Notice the part that says “they will be like a shrub in the desert.” Isn’t it ironic that the more we depend on flesh and blood to come through for us and to fulfill us, the more isolated we become? You’d think that numbers alone would insure company and community. In other words, why derive our strengths and confidences from one God when we could get infinitely more out of all these people? Out of all these communities? Out of all our fellow church members? Out of all our Facebook friends? Our fellow tweeters? Company is one click away.
But it never works that way, does it? We never can let down our guard completely and find any shred of real security from flesh and blood. The person obsessed with us today can turn on us tomorrow and we know it. The person who makes life worth living for us today could die on us tomorrow and we know it. I don’t mean to be morose. I just mean to point out the emotional tightrope we’re walking. Being vastly people-oriented rather than God-oriented always ends up taking us to a place of isolation because they’re invariably busy when we want to play, invariably distracted when we want attention, and invariably more taken with themselves than with us. And so, there we sit, with our trust and confidence in mere flesh and blood and we end up feeling like a shrub in a desert. Just as Jeremiah 17:6 says, “It will be as though [we] are growing in the desert, in a salt land where no one can live.”
Trust in man can seem a great place to visit but no one can really live there and come out calling it living.
It’s so odd to me that the more drawn I feel to God and the more taken I become with His Presence, the freer I am to love other people and the less I hold them responsible for me. Community with God increases our “experience” of good in a community of people. It is its own paradox.
And all of this brings us to the verse I have chosen for my memory work this time around:
Beth, Houston. My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me. Jeremiah 17:7 The NET Bible
And what earthly difference would that make? Well, let’s see…
“They will be like a tree planted near a stream whose roots spread out toward the water. It has nothing to fear when the heat comes. Its leaves are always green. It has no need to be concerned in a year of drought. It does not stop bearing fruit.”
Notice a very intriguing contrast hidden in Jeremiah 17:8 – “It has nothing to fear when the heat comes.”
Reflect back on 17:6b – “They will not experience good things even when [good things] happen.”
When we place our confidence in mere flesh and blood, we are shortchanged even when good things happen. When we place our confidence in God, the Immortal Invisible, we have nothing to fear even when hard things happen. The former leaves us a dry shrub. The latter makes us a fruit-bearing tree.
We never get this lesson learned once and for all, do we? Or maybe it’s just me. I still get so tempted to put my confidence in people and to think that, if all my loved ones were safe, well, and flourishing, I could be so happy. The truth of it is, I do want those things for my loved ones but God alone can come through for them and for me. Anyway, at the end of the day, I could have everything this world could offer and all the good that man could possibly do me and still sit back and think, “Why doesn’t it feel better than this?”
My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me.
Let’s hear your verses, Sisters!
Tags: Scripture Memory 2013
Shannon, Warner Robins, GA
“The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life.”
Psalm 121:7 (NLT)
Diane E., Charleston, IL
They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
Isaiah 61:4 NIV
Sandy, Ft. Gibson, OK
He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.
Isaish 33:6 NIV
Beth, London, U.K. “My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me.” (Jeremiah 17:7, NET)
Caroline, Houston, TX
As for me, I know my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Job 19:25 (NASB)
lynn, Louisville,
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
Philippians 2:12 (NASB)
Linda, Johnstown, Pa.
1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV)
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Amy Storms
Joplin, MO
Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations….May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us–yes, establish the work of our hands.
Psalm 90:1, 17 (NIV)
Nicole in Tahoka, Texas
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received a Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15 NIV
Debbie Christopher from Spartanburg SC
Psalm 15: 1-2 NIV
LORD, who may dwell in Your sanctuary?
Who may live on Your holy hill?
He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart.
Debbie, Marion, IN. “My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth… ” Psalm 139:15 NIV
Tara, Eustis
Psalms 63:8 My soul clings to you, your hand upholds me. NIV
Jean Grant, Platte City, MO
My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me.
Jeremiah 17:7 The NET Bible
Kathleen D
Bernardsville, NJ
Isaiah 35:4 (NIV)
…..say to those with fearful hearts, Be strong and do not fear, your God will come, he will come with vengeance, with divine retribution he will come to save you.”
Jessica, Carlsbad, CA “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son and that whoever so believes in Him, will not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (NIV)
Jane, Houston
“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.” John14:27 (HCSB)
bernadette, mtn home, ar “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was w/ God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” John 1:1 NIV
Carol Hulin Belleville, On:
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. Philippians 4:6 AMP
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. (Galatians 5:24 NLT)
Chandel, Thailand to America
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,and to walk humbly with your God.
…….. be my guide Oh LORD I pray.
We love because God first loved us.
1John 4:19
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
Galatians 5:6
Jesus said, “Because I live, you also will live.”
John 14:19 NIV
Jesus said,”I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6 NRSV
Cast all your anxiety on God because he cares for you.
1Peter 5:7 NIV
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24 NRSV
April, Lake Charles, LA
“My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me.” Jer. 17:7 (NET)
Diane, Wedgefield, SC – Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Ephesians 6:10, NIV 1984.
For the Kingdom of God is not in word but in power.
1 Corinthians 4:20 NKJV
Alicia, Gulfport, Mississippi
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. (Psalm 139:15 NIV)
Karen, Hartselle, AL
My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me. Jeremiah 17:7 The NET Bible
Andrea, Louisville,KY. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22”
Dana Pace, Fl
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Psalm 1:3 NIV
Syneva in Topeka, KS
“My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me. “Jeremiah 17:7 The NET Bible
Susie Johnson Bloomington, IN Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:2 NASB)
Dawn Lafayette LA
Proverbs 16:9 NIV 1984
In his heart a man plans his course, but The Lord determines his steps
Kathryn: Sarasota, FL “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. ” Colossiions 3:2 NIV
Connie Feight Sioux Falls SD
Phillipians 4:13 ” I Can do ALL things TROUGH Christ who strengthens me.”
Vivian, Birmingham, Alabama
My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me. Jeremiah 17:7 The NET Bible
Helen Crystal City, Manitoba, Canada
1 John 2:7 (ESV)
Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.
Melissa, San Antonio, TX
Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.
Col 3:24 (NLT)
John 15:7 NIV
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you.
Cara – Fridley, MN
He is the one who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not based on our works but on his own purpose and grace, granted to us in Christ Jesus before time began
2 Timothy 1:9, NET
Becca, Camp Pendleton, CA
“In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.”
~ Psalm 25:1 NIV
Tomi, Des Moines. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV
Juliana
Livermore, CA
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline
Julia – Springfield, TN
My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me. Jeremiah 17:7 The NET Bible
Emily Jordan
Virginia Beach, VA
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:12 (NIV)
MacKenzie, St. Louis
You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:8 ESV
Rita Brown
Midland, TX
The words of the reckless pierce like swords,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:18 NIV