7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
8 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.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
Dear God, I am so grateful to have learned more about the context of Jeremiah and his prophecy after having gone through the Bible in a Year Podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz. It really helped me to enjoy and appreciate these passages more. Instead of complaining about how people misuse Jeremiah 29, I can actually spend some time with these passages and consider them.
In this case, I was thinking this morning that I am feeling a little spiritually dry right now. Even doing these prayers to you is more out of self-discipline than it is waking up and longing to spend time with you. But then the thought occurred to me that I cannot always be in that mode, and that there is a value in showing up and plugging into you on a daily basis regardless of my emotions or desires. Planting myself here does make a difference. Worshipping you and spending this contemplative time with you does quench my dryness.
Whenever I read this passage, I always think of the H.E.B. Family Foundation Ranch where I have spent a lot of time. Thirty years ago, they were doing a lot of renovations and they drained a river so they could do some work. The cypress trees along the river started to dry up. They had always lived with a constant supply of all the water they wanted, and now it was gone. The dryness didn’t last long. They damned up the water again and the trees were fine, but they certainly suffered for a while.
Father, please let your river continue to run through my life, and help me to always seek you. Help me to always love you. Help me to remember my need for you. And then let your river flow through me and to those around me and within my sphere of influence.
I offer this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,
Amen
Emails to God 