This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land.

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”
Jeremiah 17:5-10

Dear God, verse 10 an example of a verse that could easily be taken out of context by a prosperity gospel preacher.

“I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”

But this is obviously foolishness. When I look at the verses that precede it, I can see that there is a lot more to this passage than the words of verse 10. This isn’t about me just having good actions, as verse 10 alone would imply. No, in context, this is about being a follower of you, not just a believer (this has been a theme of my prayers to you over the last several months). You examine our hearts and know them better than we know ourselves. You know if we are putting our roots into you or into the things of this world. And then sometimes we will go through heat or long months of drought. You never promise that won’t happen. But you do promise that you’ll be there for us in those times if our roots are tapped into you and your Holy Spirit.

Father, first, please help me to remember to tap into you. Help me to be a follower and not just a believer. And then help me to take that message to others. Help me to communicate to anyone you have given me in my sphere of influence that it isn’t about the droughts in life, but the fact that we are tapped into the source of life. You bring peace. You bring joy. You bring love. You bring patients, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, kindness, and self control. I can have all of these through the worst of droughts because of you. Please forgive me for the times I’ve suffered and have tried to solve my suffering through worldly means. I am sorry.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen