Times of Drought
Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 17:5-9
“Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confi-dence is in him.”
—Jeremiah 17:7
Our listener Vera wrote to us after she became a believer and joined a local church. She sounded so upbeat and positive. But a year later we got a message from her, requesting prayers. Her faith was being tested through difficult circumstances.
Such spiritually challenging periods can be compared to droughts. The prophet Jeremiah carried out his ministry in the arid climate of the kingdom of Judah. In today’s reading he gives examples of two plants growing in the same climate.
The first plant is trying to survive in the salty wasteland, without access to fresh water. According to Jeremiah, that’s the person who “trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD.”
The second plant, a tree, is in similarly challenging conditions. But it is planted near a stream, so when heat and drought come, the tree is secure. “Its leaves are always green,” and it keeps bearing fruit. That’s the person who puts all confidence and trust in the Lord.
Often we cannot choose our life circumstances. We go through periods of drought and challenges. Our only hope to survive is to have our roots planted deep by the stream of living water—our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Where are your roots planted?
Father, thank you for providing us with the source of living water in the person of your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us to put all our trust into him only. Amen.
About the author — Sergei Sosedkin
Sergei Sosedkin is the Russian-language ministry leader for ReFrame Ministries. He is a native of Moscow, Russia. As he oversees the Russian-language ministry, Sosedkin works from our office in Grand Rapids and in various locations in Russia.
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