Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.Jeremiah 17:7–8
- APRIL 21 -
A PICTURE OF A BLESSED MAN
Let’s look at some of the pictures that the Bible paints for us in Jeremiah 17. God’s Word is amazing. He speaks to us through word pictures and imagery in the Bible.
For example, Jeremiah 17:5–6 paints us a picture of a cursed man—“a shrub in the desert.” What a dismal image of a man! A person who is always trusting in himself is like a dried-up shrub, looking old, tired, and haggard.
But thank God the Bible didn’t just stop with the description of the cursed man. It goes on to paint a beautiful picture of a blessed man: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.”
Wow! I know which man I would rather be. Truly, a picture is worth more than a thousand words! I want you to see yourself as this tree planted by the waters today!
When I was on vacation with my wife, Wendy, in the breathtaking Canadian Rockies, we spent a lot of time just roaming around and soaking in the splendor of our heavenly Father’s creation. As we wandered along the bank of a tranquil river that we chanced upon, we found a majestic tree anchored by the water’s edge. Its trunk was sturdy and strong, and its branches stretched out to form a perfect canopy above it. In contrast to the other trees that were further away from the river, its leaves were refreshingly green and luscious. This was because the tree was constantly nourished by the river.
Looking at that impressive, beautiful tree, I couldn’t help but recall the blessed man described in Jeremiah 17, and I remember saying to myself then, “I am like this tree in Jesus’ name!” When you depend on and trust in the Lord, you are like this tree too.
Jesus will cause you to be a picture of robust strength, vitality and good success. See yourself like a beautiful tree planted by the waters. God’s Word says that even when heat comes, you will not fear it!
Did you notice a crucial difference between the blessed man and the cursed man? While the cursed man cannot see good when it comes (Jer. 17:6), the blessed man will not fear even when heat comes!
The King James Version says that the blessed man “shall not see when heat cometh.” This is amazing. It means that heat comes even to the blessed man but he is not conscious of seasons of heat, but continues to be strong and to flourish. He will be like a tree whose leaf continues to be green.
When you are like the blessed man, you will be evergreen! This means that you will enjoy divine health, youthfulness, vitality, and dynamism.
When you are blessed, your body will be full of life as the Lord renews your youth and vigor. Your health will not fail you nor will you lose your youth. There will be no stress, fear, and panic attacks because the blessed man “will not be anxious in the year of drought.”
A year of drought speaks of a severe famine, and in our modern vernacular, it would be no different from the global financial meltdown, the subprime crisis, the collapse of global investment banks, the volatile stock markets, and rising inflation. While it may be bad news for the world, the blessed man can remain at rest and not be anxious because God has promised that even in the midst of a crisis, he will not “cease from yielding fruit.”
Beloved, be the blessed man who puts his trust in the Lord and this will also happen to you!
This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Favor—Daily Readings from Unmerited Favor. Joseph Prince