Thought of the Day-August 21st, 2009

When Life is falling apart

By Helen Lescheid

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man who depends on flesh for strength…he will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. 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 go right on producing delicious fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7,8 Application Bible).

What do you do when your life is falling apart? When adversity strikes from every side?

Jeremiah describes two kinds of responses with two striking results.
1. You can depend on friends and family to see you through it.
2. You can depend on God to give you strength and courage for every day

“If you put your trust in mere humans you’ll be like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future,” writes Jeremiah. Friends and family will want to help, but they may be as confused as you are. Instead of listening and praying, they tend to give advice and pat answers. They may judge the situation unfairly and even blame you. Very few people know how to truly help.

On the contrary, those who trust in God not only endure the heat and the drought: they stay green and flourish. Why? They have a resource within them–the living risen Lord Jesus Christ. I’ve experienced this in a very real way. Let me share with you an excerpt from my journal.
“From every side adversity’s ax is chopping into the tree (me), but it’s still standing. Why? Because the core is solid. The ax can’t penetrate it. That core is Christ Himself. Jesus Christ is my hope. Because He’s within me, I have hope. I get ragged at the edges, but my core is solid, for Christ is my core.”

We must nourish this Christ-life within us by putting our roots deep into the living water of His Word. There is no fear that the river will run dry for Christ’s resources never run out. I must guard against any obstruction, though, like bitterness or an unforgiving spirit or any other sin that will obstruct the flow of His life-giving water.

Dear God, thank you that in Christ I have all that I need not only to survive the heat and the drought, but to flourish. Thank you, also, that you meet my need in very practical ways, and You send along the right persons to help me.

Questions: What do you do when trouble happens? How is it that those who trust in the Lord can endure the heat and the pain and still flourish?