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):
17:5Â 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.
17:6Â 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.
17:7Â My blessing is on those people who trust in me,
who put their confidence in me.
17:8Â 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
You too must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of The Lord is near.
James 5:8 NLT
D’Anna Nowack
Kilgore, Texas
Psalm 90:17
New International Version (NIV)
17 May the favor[a] of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.
D’Anna Nowack
Kilgore, Texas
Psalm 90:17
New International Version (NIV)
17 May the favor[a] of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.
Dawn, West Monroe, LA
“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.” Jeremiah 17:7 NIV
Cyndi, Lexington KY
Yes, my soul, find rest in God, my hope comes from Him.
Psalm 62:5 NIV
Susan from Clinton, MS
I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.
Isaiah 61:10 NIV
Tammy, Monroe,Ga.
My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me.
Jeremiah 7:7 (NET)
Ellen White
St. Augustine, FL
For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power.
I Corinthians 4:20
NIV
Mary Ellen ~ Trenton GA ~ “We think even a foolish person is wise if he keeps silent. We think he understands what is right if he controls his tongue.” ~ Proverbs 17:28 NIRV
Jessica, Waukesha, Wisconsin
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)
Brittney, San Angelo “And He said to them, ‘Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.'” Matthew 4:19 NASB
Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 NIV
Jennifer in Cincinnati
Was away from internet on retreat 8/1-8/4 but chose on the first:
Hebrews 13:9 (ESV)
9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.
Cassia, Spring, TX
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Phil 4:12-13 NIV
Lanie Beth, Locust Grove, GA, NIV ‘The decrees of the Lord are firm and all of them are righteous.’ Psalm 19:9
Connie, Chariton, James2:11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder. “Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. James 2:11 NKJV
Beth, N Royalton, OH
Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Anna McCollister
New Palestine, IN
“Serve wholeheartedly; as if you were serving The Lord, not people.”
Ephesians 6:7 NIV
Janice parent, bakersfield, ca.
He himself was not the light, he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. John 1:8-9. NIV
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7 NIV
Haley
Conway, AR
Galatians 6:9 NLT
“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
Andrea, Burleson, TX
“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.”
1 Samuel 12:23
Mary in Houston
Psalm 77:9 NIV
Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?
Do not be quick with your mouth,
do not be hasty in your heart
to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few.
Ecclesiastes 5:2 (NIV)
Stephanie
Madison, MS
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10, NIV
Tracy, Kountze, Texas
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4 NASB
Theresa – Pace, Florida
Lamentations 2:19
NIV
Arise, cry out in the night
as the watches of the night begin;
pour out your heart like waters
in the presence of the Lord.
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works….” Eph. 2:10 NIV
This was the main memory verse at our church’s VBS this last week! Easy to remember and poignant, I think!
Angie
Albertville AL
“You did not choose Me but I chose you and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” John 15:16 NASB
One of these days I’ll post on time. :/
Candi McDonald, Ft Bragg, NC
I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10 NASB)
Virginia from Elgin, Tx
Whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live or die, we are the LORD’s.
Romans 14:8 NIV
Krista of Midlothian, Virginia
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9
Elsie Gregory – Scottsbluff, NE
Psalm 119:130 NIV
The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
Betsy, Lincoln Park
“You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.” Psalm 91:8 NIV
Maria Cristina Bruschi
Orlando, Florida
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:12-13, NIV
John 1:12-13, NIV
Micki,Prairie Village,KS
Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was so that you might have him back for good.
Philemon 2:5. NIV
Adrienne
Jasper, TN
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
Romans 12:18 NIV
Kris – Westbrook, Maine
My blessing is on those people who trust in me,
who put their confidence in me. Jeremiah 17:7 NET
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn.”
Romans 12:15 NIV
Tarah in Camdenton, MO
“in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time.”
Titus 1:2
Rhonda – Houston
I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no saviour. Isaiah 43:11 ESV
Valerie, Taylors, SC
My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me. Jeremiah 17:7 The NET Bible
Liz in Ruston, LA
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
Cathryne, Fayetteville NC
Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they have been from of old. Psalm 25:6 NASB
Victoria M, Greenbrier AR
John 13:3
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power.
Jackie, Mobile, AL.
” Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.”
Philippians 2:14-15 NASB
Annette, Tomball. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 1 Corinthians 4:20 NIV
Lorraine, Marysville, Washington
My blessing in on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me.
Jeremiah 17:7 NET
Diana, East Peoria, IL
Let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you.
Romans 13:14 NLT
Vickie in Louisville. Malachi 3:11 AMP
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits do your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruit befour the time in the field, says the Lord of Hosts.