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
Jen Evans Seville, Ohio
Philippians 4:13 NKJV I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.
Erin B., League City, Tx
“You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you. ” 2 Chronicles 20:17 NIV
Keri
Little Rock, AR
“For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.”
1 Corinthians 4:20, ESV
“Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him to help you do it and He will.” Psalm 37:5 TLB
May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whold spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Thessalonians 5:23NIV
Kim B. – Orlando, FL
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’ (Hebrews 12:28, 29 NIV
Whenever you are able, do good to people who need help.
NCV
My verse is Proverbs 3:27 NCV
Shelley from San Angelo
Proverbs 3:6 NIV
In all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Lauren, Cypress CA
“A fool gives full vent to his spirit; but a wise man quietly holds it back.” Prov. 29:11 ESV
Mickey, Blue Springs, MO
The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.
1 Thessalonians 5:24
Lou Ann Smith, McAllen, TX
For I know the plans I have for you says the LORD, they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Lou Ann Smith, McAllen, TX
For I know the plans I have for you says the LORD, they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
Doris, Whiteville, NC
1John 4:7 ESV
Beloved, let us love one another, for God is love, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
Charlotte
Lexington
As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. (James 5:11 NIV)
Janet, Vine Grove, KY
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Phil 4:7 NIV
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
Karen, Beech Island, SC. -“whatever you ask in MY name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son” John 14:13 ESV
Lorie, Centreville, VA
The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
Exodus 4:11-12
Susie from Carmel, IN
My blessing is on those people who trust in me,
who put their confidence in me. Jeremiah 7:17 (NET)
oops…Jeremiah 17:7
Susan Bymaster. Ames, Oklahoma.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord.
Psa. 19:14
Terry, Indianapolis, IN
Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
Proverbs 13:11 ESV
A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. Prov. 19:11 NIV
Candis, South Bend IN, And he that overcomenth, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I receive of my Father Rev. 2: 26-27 KJV
Cynthia
Brentwood TN
“And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’ ”
Revelation 19:16
Ashley, Fort Worth, Tx
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16 NIV
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Psalm 32:8 NIV
Candace, Colorado Springs
Jonah 2:8(NIV)
“Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”
This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
– Psalm 118:24
Cheryl, Los Osos:
Jesus replied, This is the work (service) that God asks of you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent [that you cleave to, trust, rely on, and have faith in His Messenger]. (John 6:29 AMP)
Gail Tyler,TX
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is in the LORD. Jeremiah 17:7 NKJV
Marcia, Windermere, FL
“Don’t try to avoid responsibility by saying you didn’t know about it. For God knows all hearts, and He sees you. He keeps watch over your soul, and He knows you knew!”
Proverbs 24:12 (NLT)
Joanne Hill Orange Tx
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
Proverbs 4:23 NIV
That night the Lord said, “Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them! But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah. Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack.”
Judges 7:9-11
New Living Translation
Christene from London, Canada
Ephesians 3:14-19, MSG
My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
Port Neches, TX
“I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.” Ephesians 1:16-17 (NLT)
Kim, Colonial Heights, VA
“My blessing is on those people who trust in me, who put their confidence in Me.”
Jeremiah 17:7, NET
Kathy, Lake Jackson, Texas
LORD, Your word is forever;
It is firmly fixed in heaven.
Psalm 199:89. HCSB
Freida, Chatham, LA “The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;” Psalm 103:15 NIV
Abbie, Katy “Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 (NET)
Nancy Lakewood,Co
Jeremiah 17:7 the NET Bible
“My blessing is on those people who trust in Me, who put their confidence in Me.”
Vicksburg, MS
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18
NIV
Sharon, Barrington,
“His descendants will be mighty on earth, the generation of the upright will be blessed.” Ps. 112:2
Joyce, Wahpeton ND
Romans 8:32 ESV
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will He not also along with Him graciously give us all things.
Lisa, West Columbia, TX
“Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting to the Lord.” Colossians 3:18 (NIV)
Katie Davila, Tomball, TX:
I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments. Psalm 119:60 (ESV)
“Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:”
-Psalm 37:3 (NIV)
Crystal, Gridley, IL
Leah, from Ontario, Canada
The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor Him, for He is your lord.
Psalm 45:11 NIV
Bridget, Cadillac MI
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Phil, 4:6 nkjv
God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. Psalms 18:30 NLT
Now may The Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all. 2 Thes. 3:16