A Parched Bush or a Strong Tree?

When you need to be refreshed, what do you do, or where do you turn?

When I think about what it means to be refreshed, I think about that cold glass of water that I drink when I have been splitting wood, spreading beauty bark or gravel. If I do not take the time to stop and replenish my body, I become dehydrated and quit what I am doing. To complete my job, I need to take the time to rejuvenate my body. Some synonyms for refresh are to invigorate, rejuvenate, replenish, revive, stimulate.

I also found the antonyms of refresh remarkably interesting: depressed, destroy, discourage, damage, hurt, ruin.

Concerning our spiritual growth, our intimacy with the Lord, think about both the synonyms and antonyms for refresh. What do we do, where do we turn when we are in a spiritual slump or when our spiritual fire is burning low?

When we are weary from not seeing prayers answered.

 

 

 

When we want to run away and hide, when we want the pain to stop, when we are discouraged, or taking care of others is too much work.

Some time back, I was researching the word “trust.”  My google search revealed many verses about “trusting God.” As I read through the verses, the Holy Spirit stopped me at Jeremiah 17: 7-8. I read and re-read those verses. Listen to them:

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the LORD. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought or cease to yield fruit.”

As I began to dig deeper and establish this passage’s context, I read the verses just preceding these beautiful promises: Jeremiah 17: 5-6.

 

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited.”

 

What a contrast between these verses – cursed or blessed; trust in one’s self, versus trusting in God; And the picture the Word paints of these two people is striking.

The cursed self-made person is like a thirsty, burned, shriveled shrub or a tumbleweed in the desert.

I can identify with the picture of being in the wilderness, feeling like a scorched, burned bush. Like a tumbleweed being blown here and there with no anchor. Many of you would probably agree –you know how it feels.

 

 

Notice the beautiful description of the one who trusts in the Lord and is blessed in Jeremiah 17.  How are those blessings described?

Picture an enormous, lush tree planted by the water.

Note it is planted; it just did not sprout by itself. The place chosen for this tree was intentional — by the water.  It is covered in green leaves; even the heat does not bother it; its leaves flourish and are always green.  Also, there is no anxiousness when the rains do not come. It still stands strong and firm during the drought or times of hardships, and its leaves prosper.

Nor does it cease to produce fruit. We know that fruit trees do not produce fruit 365 days a year; they yield fruit only seasonally. But the Word says that this tree never ceases producing fruit…spiritual fruit. The result of His presence within us is the continual production of love, joy, inner peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, or the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5: 22-23)

What a promise from God!  These words reminded me of Psalm 1:2-3, which tell us that those who  habitually meditate on the principles and teachings of the Lord are “like a tree firmly planted and fed by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season; its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers and comes to maturity.”

So how is this possible? How do our spiritual leaves stay green during the trials, the hardships, the difficult times we will experience? Why can there be a continuous flow of spiritual fruit?

Looking back at our passage in Jeremiah 17, we see that it is only possible as our roots extend, or spread out, as they become larger, broader, reach deeper into its source — the stream.

Spiritually, the living water of Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 7:37: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.”

The word “thirsts” has a fascinating meaning. Symbolically, those who painfully feel their want of, and eagerly long for, those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, and strengthened.

What is my treasure?

Now it is time to ask,  how thirsty am I? What I do about my thirst will tell my Lord and Savior what I treasure.  Do I eagerly long for those things by which my soul is refreshed, supported, strengthened? Do I even know what those things are that refreshes, upholds, and strengthens my soul, my inner being? That part of me, that part of you that makes us unique.

Most of us would probably give a similar response to the question of what is necessary to refresh and strengthen our souls, and that would be time spent alone with the Lord.

As you read through the Bible, we repeatedly see that the one God used in mighty ways spent time in training, time alone with God, often in the most desolate, deserted places, often called the wilderness.  Our training ground may physically look different than it did for Paul, for David, for Elisha, for Moses, but spiritually it is for the same purpose. We need to learn the ways of God, and that takes time — it takes a lifetime.

Think about the lush, green, fruit-producing tree with roots that grow towards the water to receive its nourishment.  This tree is willing to do whatever is necessary to quench its thirst, to be nourished so it will continue to grow stronger and stronger as the seasons of life pass.

The living water that our Savior promises will quench our thirst. As we experience the living water, we learn how to walk in the Spirit, love our enemies, and persevere in difficult situations; in the living waters, we learn what love, unconditional love, looks like, how it acts.

 

The crucial question to answer is this: how important is it to me, to you, to experience the living water continually? What am I willing to do to experience intimacy with the Lord?

Jesus answered this question in Matthew 6:21: “where my heart is, there is my treasure.”  So, the key is to know what I treasure. What do I consider most valuable? Where do I devote my time and energy? Whatever my answer is to these questions will determine “my treasure,” the inward driving force of my life.

The treasure, both experiencing and sharing the living water, must become the motivator for my love for God and others. Only then will  I experience His peace, His joy, blessings. Intimacy with my Lord and Savior must be my “first love.” Paul tells us what his treasure is in Philippians 3:8, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”

The roots of the tree that God has planted by the waters are very much in love or treasure this river because it contains the waters of life and love, which irrigate its roots, and travels into the branches making its leaves green and fertile.

The roots draw in all the nutrients it can from the living water because that means my soul, my inner being, is filled with His peace, His joy, His life…no matter what might be happening around me. The only experience that satisfies my soul, that quenches my thirst, is for my roots to draw life and love from the living water.

Continually fortify yourself with God’s Word; learn to let the Holy Spirit’s power flow unhindered through you; listen to the Spirit, His instructions, His warnings, and run your race with endurance to the end. And at the end of our journey,  we will hear from our Lord, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:23)