DEVOTION – DAY 400

Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Rooted In The Lord”

Jeremiah 17:7-8 “But blessed in the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that send 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.”

The prophet Jeremiah used the image of a tree to illustrate how blessed someone is when he or she trusts in the Lord. The image is that of a tree planted by a stream so that it is well watered, with abundant green leaves and bearing fruit even in the fiercest time of drought because its roots could draw on water from the stream. In the same way, Christians are blessed because they can always draw upon the unlimited strength and power from the Lord when they remain rooted in Him. They will be restored and recharged whenever they grow weary and tired, when they rest in the Lord and on His Word. With the Lord’s help, they will bear much spiritual fruit. The illustration used by Jeremiah is very appropriate.

In 1953, Elizabeth Howard married Jim Elliot. Both were missionaries at the time trying to evangelize to native Indians in Ecuador. In 1956, just when their only daughter was 10 months old, Jim Elliot was killed along with 4 other American missionaries by the local Auca Indians. Although she grieved for the loss of her husband, she sought comfort and strength in the Lord and His Word even as she faced an uncertain future as a widow with a young baby daughter. She depended on God’s power and strength as she resolved to continue the work of her late husband. In the end, she remained in Ecuador for 7 more years learning the Auca language and even lived amongst the same tribe who had killed her husband. She and other missionaries eventually led some of the Auca Indians to convert to Christianity. She even forgave the men who had killed her husband. 

She subsequently wrote many Christian books and she was a sought-after speaker in the US. She also remarried in 1969, only to be widowed again after 4 years because her husband died suddenly. She again drew strength from the Lord and continued to be fruitful serving Him. When asked by journalists how she managed to pick up the pieces of her life after so many setbacks, she could only say she was blessed because she always had God and His Word to draw her strength from. She was like a tree planted by a stream, not fearing heat or drought because she knew she was strong in the Lord.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we thank you for being the source of our strength and power. Please help us to always trust and depend upon you and not on ourselves or other people. We pray this in the great name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

1. What is the natural response that people would show when they are met with adversity and tragedy? 
2. How should you respond when faced with adversity and tragedy in the light of this devotion? How does it encourage you to trust and depend on God and His Word?
3. Why is it important that we trust and depend on God rather than on people or things? Discuss.