In Drought

“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.” ~ Jeremiah 17:7-8

When things are rough, how do you hold on?  How do you respond?  Where do you turn?  Sometimes life is overwhelmingly hard and makes no sense.  Tragic deaths, accidents, financial hardships, childhood cancer, any type of cancer, addictions….you name it; life doesn’t always make sense and can be hard.  Things that make us doubt; doubt our faith.  We have all been there.  In a world that is so divided on so many issues and where hurt abounds, where do you go?  How do you move forward?  A life of ease is what we would all like, but Jesus never promised that.  But he did promise that if we stay near to him and rooted in his word and trust him, we will make it.  Some people are going to hurt you; close people.  And some circumstances will cut like a knife because we live in a broken and sinful world; which was not the original plan.  Becoming short-sighted and trusting in the world, others and trusting only in yourself will eventually leave you disappointed and maybe even deeply wounded.  A heart that trusts in God instead of this world has hope that everything will be okay.  Trusting in God, the living water of life, brings some relief even in the darkest moments.  The same way a tree that is planted near water always has nourishment even in blistering heat.  When you are in the habit of continually seeking Jesus, you will have hope in difficult times.  A season will come when you will have to decide who, or what you trust – yourself, man, or God.  It will not be easy and it will not take all the pain away, but it will give you hope if you trust in the Lord Almighty no matter what may come. ~ Amen