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
My blessing is on those people who trust in me, who put their confidence in me. (Jeremiah 17:7 NET)
Tara G.
Sherwood, AR
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?] And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Matthew 6:25-29 (ESV)
Ginger in Phoenix, AZ
“In the morning You hear my voice, O Lord; in the morning I prepare [a prayer, a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart].” Psalm 5:3, AMP
When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. Proverbs 31:21 NIV
Kelly from Sherman, TX. “Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.” I Corinthians 1:7 NIV
Martha, Brevard, NC
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?'”
Heb.13:5-6 NIV
2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity,
But a spirit of power, of love, and of self discipline.
Kaitlyn, Tampa
To bless my baby boy with before I put him down to bed:
Romans 15: 13, NIV
May the God of hope
Fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,
So that you may overflow with hope
By the power of the Holy Spirit.
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2 NIV
Shera Lynchburg, Va
I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Psalm 16:8. ESV
NIV Romans12:12
Be joyful in hope
Paitent in affection
Faithful in prayer
Jackie Pope, Covington, IN; For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. Psalm 91:11 (NKJV)
Karen(Oconomowoc WI)Delight yourself also in the LORD,and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 NKJV
Morag, Bishop CA
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.”
Jeremiah 7:7 (NIV)
oops Jeremiah 17:7
Karen(Oconomowoc WI) Behold,I stand at the door and knock,If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,I will come in to him and dine with him and he with me.Rev.3:20(NKJV)
Saige, Shreveport, LA
“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” – Romans 5:10 (ESV)
Amanda, White Hall, AR
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. (Psalm 63:3 NIV)
Michelle, Frisco, Texas
Isaiah 26:3 – NLT – You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Jessica from Rockvale, TN
Matthew 6:25 (NIRV) “I tell you, do not worry. Don’t worry about your life and what you will eat or drink. And don’t worry about your body and what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than eating? Aren’t there more important things for the body than clothes?”
Heather W. Nederland, TX
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (Ephesians 6:11 NIV)
Thank you to our sister in Christ at the Sioux Falls LPL event this past weekend for bringing this verse before us…
Exodus 14:14 NIV
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
Thanks to our sister in Christ at the Sioux Falls LPL this past weekend for bringing this verse before us:
Exodus 14:14 NIV
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
Sorry for posting twice! I didn’t think it went the first time!
Psalm 46:1 [NIV]
1 God is our refuge and an ever-present help in trouble.
[I am going to try to memorize Psalm 46: 1-3 over the next month or so.]
In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer Olmstead
Janesville, Wisconsin
Patti, Shalimar, FL, “Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. John 14:23 (NIV)
Rebecca, Hallsville, TX
‘Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
Rev. 4:11 KJV
Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin. Ps. 17:3
Yes, my soul finds rest in God, My hope comes from him.
Psalm 62:5
Denise from Lenexa, KS
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139: 23-24 NIV
Marilyn from Missouri:
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:25 NKJV
Jill from Sterling Heights, MI
But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what GOD is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously – take God seriously.
~ Micah 6:8 (Message)
Freeland, MI Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 NIV
Brynn in Rogers, AR
A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.
Proverbs 15:1
Landry, Georgetown, TX
Proverbs 4:23 NIV
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
Jennifer, Denham Springs, LA
“Now the just shall live by faith, but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” Hebrews 10:38 NIV
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but power.” 1 Cor. 4:20 NIV
Catching up!
Jonna, Malibu, CA
My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me. Jeremiah 17:7 The NET Bible
Becky, Vicksburg, MS
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. Psalm 13:5 (NIV).
Rita – Alva, Florida
“Oh Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!”
Jeremiah 32:17 NLT
“You are my hiding place; You protect me from trouble. You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance.”
Psalm 32:7 HCSB
Pat
Crawfordsville, IN
O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. Isaiah 25:1 NKJV
Christy from Omaha:
“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointment me to his service.”
1 Timothy 1:12
LisaT in Boonsboro Md
James 1:13-15 NIV84
When tempted, noone should say “God is tempting me”. For God cannot be tempted by evil nor does God tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Edmond, OK Psalm 139:17(ESV)
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
Rene’, Edmond, OK
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
Rom. 12:12 NLT
Sara, Plymouth, IN
And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 5:2 (NIV)
“And everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:26 NAS
Angela: Aberdeen, SD: Hebrews 4:14 (ESV) Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me. Jeremiah 17:7 NET
Donna Marina, Ca
1John 4:4 KJV
Ye are of God, little children and have overcome them; because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Tina Cincinnati Ohio – Psalm 34:5 – Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. (NIV)
Isaiah 55:6 NIV
Seek the Lord while he may be found;call on Him while He is near.