Just a couple of miles from my house, there is place to which I often return along the banks of the Delaware River. Whenever I walk that trail that meanders along the river, I am renewed by the sounds of the water tumbling over rocks, the rustle of the breeze in the branches, and the songs of birds. It is a place that is alive! Particularly now in the months of Spring it is a delight to see the green emerging, new life bursting even in the smallest flowers on the forest floor.

In my spiritual life I turn often to another Source of life, taking time to renew my hope in the Lord, fed by the water of the Spirit. The stress of daily life, the hot dry winds of anxiety, the uncertainties that are the common human experience all combine to sap my strength. Without that renewal, life can become hard, seemingly futile.

Jeremiah, the ancient preacher, was inspired to write the people of God during a time when they were under threat of attack from a great foreign power. Their future was dark, hope almost non-existent. Their whole way of life was in peril. Where could they turn to find renewal?

This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.
“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)

In what or on whom have you centered your life’s hope?
If you are hoping that a political party will secure your future, you are sadly duped!
If you think that a charismatic leader will make your life richer and fuller, you are destined for disappointment.
If you have made your job or wealth your anchor in life, you will find yourself worried by every fluctuation in the economy.

We choose to “trust in the LORD,” to make Him the Source of our confidence.

Let me be authentic at this moment. Trusting Him does not mean that you will be exempted from the difficulties of life. Good and devout people of faith still get cancer, still grow old and infirm, still find life touched by the meanness of people with whom they live. The faithful find themselves confused, hurt, and even sometimes doubtful. The question “why?” is one that we all ask in the inevitable dark days.

I have found solace many times in the words of the 73^rd Psalm. The writer finds his faith under assault and says “I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. … These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for!”  Has life been like that for you? Have you ever wondered why God seems to have forgotten you?
That song continues with this point of change. “I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is! Then I went into your sanctuary, O God … “I still belong to you; you hold my right hand.You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.”

Simply said, we choose to trust. We choose faith. We grasp the truth, supported by the Scripture and the long experience of those who walk with God, that there is purpose, that there is Eternity; that we are ‘held by His hand!’

In that faith, our lives are watered by the Spirit, finding refreshing and renewal. There is a kind of lasting beauty in the one who does not wither even in times of drought. They do not turn into grumpy old cynics. They are not full of regrets. They are not locked into some time of glory that happened decades ago. They are not hateful.

Instead, they are marked by real joy, anticipating the goodness of God, and filled with a godly compassion for others.

Will you continue to make Him your Source?
Will you trust Him in the darkest moment, steady and faith-filled?
Choose to live by the River of Life!

Take this word from the Word with you today and meditate on the promise of Jesus. “Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him.)”  (John 7)

__________________

Video of this blog https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55