GOD MAKES THE WONDERFUL PROMISE THAT THOSE WHOSE CONFIDENCE IS IN HIM WILL REMAIN GREEN AND WILL BEAR FRUIT!
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, not will cease from yielding fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7, 8)
The staunchest tree is not found in the shelter of the forest, but out in the open where the winds from every side beat upon it, and bend and twist it until it becomes a giant in stature. It requires storms to produce the rooting.
Out on the meadow it stands to shelter the herds and flocks. The earth about the tree hardens. The rains do little good for the water runs off. The storm almost bends the tree over. It is wrath now. What can such seeming cruelty mean? Is that love? But wait!
Above the tree the soil is all loosened. Great cracks are opened up away down into the ground. Deep wounds might appear to the inexperienced. The rain now comes in with its gentle ministry. The wounds fill up. The moisture reaches away down deep even to the utmost root. The sun again shines. New and vigorous life bursts forth. The roots go deeper and deeper. The branches shoot forth. New and again one hears something snap and crack like a pistol: it is getting too big for its clothes! It is growing into a giant! It is rooting!
When you see a spiritual giant, think of the road over which he has traveled—not the sunny lane where wild flowers ever bloom, but a steep, rocky, narrow pathway where the blasts of hell will almost blow you off your feet, where the sharp rocks cut the feet, where the projecting thorns scratch the brow and the venomous serpents hiss on every side. The Lord provides deep roots when there are to be wised-spreading branches.
In times of trouble, those who trust in human beings will be impoverished and spiritually weak, so they will have no strength to draw on. But those who trust in the Lord will have abundant strength, not only for their own needs, but even for the needs of others. Are you satisfied with being unfruitful, or do you, like a well-watered tree, have strength for the time of crisis and even some to share as you bear fruit for the Lord?
God is the unfailing one, the one who has never been known to fail or to let anyone down. He is the one who keeps all his promises and always delivers what he has said he will. The results are always to trust God. The word says the person who puts their trust in God is likened to a strong, fruitful tree. The waters, or rivers, by which this tree is planted, were probably irrigation channels, deliberately dug for the purpose of watering the land. The sense of the scripture here is that it was planted deliberately and carefully in a place where it would be bound to flourish. The channels were kept flowing at all times of the year and in all weathers. Even in times of drought they flowed on, watering and moistening the soil around them. A tree planted beside them would be able to spread out its roots along the banks, and grow tall and strong. It would not need to put all its effort into finding water, so it would be able to give fruit and to be of use. Such a tree does not rely just on itself for survival, but also on the people who tend it and ensure that the waters continue to flow.
A person who puts their trust in God is described as “blessed” or “happy.” Such a person is like the tree by the water. God provides an endless source of blessing and strength, flowing all the time, no matter what happens in life. Just as the tree can develop roots to reach along the banks to take full advantage of all the water, so a person could develop spiritual roots to reach out and receive all the blessings that God is wishing to give to them. At times when God comes close they know it and are able to be close to him, to spend time with him and enjoy them. They do not rely on themselves for survival and blessing, but on the one who gives them their water, their nourishment, and their blessings.
But this flourishing tree is not just growing for its own benefit. It grows tall and strong, and is leafy, so that people can shelter from the fierce heat of the sun under it. Fruit grows a valuable source of food, vitamins and nourishment. When we grow like this tree people who are suffering from the difficulties of this life can come to us and find relief. They can be nourished from being with us and strengthened and blessed, brought close to the one true God who is the source of all joy.
To reiterate—the tree, that sends its roots towards a river that never fails, does not suffer when all the land is parched. The man who has driven his roots into God, and is drawing from that deep source what is needful for his life and fertility, has no occasion to dread any evil, nor to gnaw his heart with anxiety as to what he is to do in parched days. Troubles may come, but they do not go deeper than the surface. It may be all cracked and caked and dry, a thirsty land where no water is, and yet deep down there may be moisture and coolness. Turn away your heart’s confidence and love from earth and creatures; for until the roots of your life go down into God, and you draw your life from Him. You are not in your right soil. The direction of a man’s trust determines the whole cast of his life, because it determines the soil in which he grows.
