Jeremiah 17:5-10 (NRSV)
Read Jeremiah 17:5-10 on biblegateway.com
Verse 5Thus says the Lord: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord. Verse 6They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Verse 7Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. Verse 8They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. Verse 9The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse- who can understand it? Verse 10I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings.
Devotion
“A god is that to which we look for all good and in which we find refuge in every time of need.” (Martin Luther, Large Catechism)
In Jeremiah’s time Judah depended on pagan gods. They worshipped Asherah poles (artificial trees) on green hills beneath real trees.
After Jeremiah’s vivid imagery of the soul living in the desert and the soul living by a stream, he says: “The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse – who can understand it” (Jer 17:9). Not only do we depend on the wrong gods without realizing it, we often become confused about what it means to flourish, about the very nature of success.
Wells that we dig go dry. God urges us to acknowledge our emptiness and return to our source. Only God can give us growth for our souls.
Prayer
God, forgive us for neglecting to trust and worship you above all else. Guided by your Holy Spirit make us to fear, love and trust you above anything else. Amen.