Water in the Heat – EP23
Jeremiah 17:7-8
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Hello, and welcome back to the One Thing Podcast. Hopefully everybody's enjoying the extremely hot weather we're having this week. It's funny because I've spoken to a bunch of kids as well as some adults and friends and any chance people have gotten, not only are they, you know, staying hydrated, drinking plenty of water and fluids, but they are hopping into the pool and making their way to the beach to get into the ocean. Why? Because it is hot, it is dry. What a wonderful thing that we would have the opportunities to be able to cool down and have water, clean water, pure water to keep us hydrated and safe. Think about it-- imagine if there was no water, imagine in this time of heat, imagine being in a desert even or in a wilderness with no rain coming down, no way to hop into the coolness of an ocean or into the pool or to stay hydrated. How dangerous... How no vegetation would be able to grow around us... How our bodies would literally suffer because of the lack of hydration and the unbearing heat that can really do damage. No different than our walk with the Lord.
Tree planted by water
"For those who diligently seek his word and apply it to their life and walk it out-- it says they will be like a tree."When we look at the world, the Bible not only says that this world is dark, but it is a desert place, it is like a wilderness. In so many places, there's a lack of the word of the Lord, the word of the Lord that brings forth life and waters, the living waters of the Lord Jesus Christ, but there is hope! And Jeremiah chapter 17 versus 7-8, it says this “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” This is the life that God has intended for those who trust in him. When we don't trust in the Lord, when we decide to maybe walk apart from his words or we’re not seeking him diligently-- this dry, desert, wasteland consumes us, the heat of the darkness, the heat of the world that bears down against our souls trying to take us out. YET to those who trust in the Lord, whose confidence is in him, to those who look every moment for his guidance, for those who diligently seek his word and apply it to their life and walk it out-- it says they will be like a tree.
"'Do not worry, do not fear because even in a year of drought you will never fail to bear fruit as you trust in me.'"And I love the fact that, you know, the Bible says, yes we may be in a desert land, yes we may be in a wasteland and God doesn't say ‘I'm gonna take you out’, he says NO ‘You're going to be planted there, but you're going to be by the water. Your roots are gonna go deep, deep into my word and although you may be in a desert place, although that heat of the sun may come, you shall not fear and your leaves will always be green bearing the fruit of the love, the wisdom, the power and the peace of God’. Yes, we may be in the desert land, yes our communities may be filled with violence or darkness or all sorts of crazy things, yes even our nation may seem to be in a famine of the word of the Lord-- I tell you today God says ‘Do not worry, do not fear because even in a year of drought you will never fail to bear fruit as you trust in me. Not only will I keep you, not only will I keep you hydrated and safe and filled with my love and my goodness and my glory, but you yourself will be a spring welling up for those who may even come from afar to drink from the well of the word of the Lord.
"We are reminded to be those who carry the living water of the Lord Jesus Christ."Today, as we are walking in the heat, may we not forget that God has called us into the life and the light of the Lord that we would be filled, that we would be going deep down into the wells of God, drinking and drinking. Even though we may be in a desert land, even though there may be a famine, even though it seems like the wastelands have surrounded us- that we are reminded to be those who carry the living water of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Enjoy the hot weather today. Enjoy the heat of the sun knowing that not only physically, but spiritually and in every way God is pouring out his living water-- may we bask in the rains. As we jump into those pools, as we jump into the ocean may we be jumping into the wells of the Lord, may we be jumping into his word, trusting and leaning on him. Enjoy the day and may the Lord bless each one of his church.