The Mighty Oak Along the River

Are You?

The Bible says to be a tree planted alongside a river, we read in Jeremiah 17:7-8:

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit”  

Blessed are those, it says.  We don’t have to fear when the heat is turned up in our lives and that can come through many avenues, like in our marriage or finances, with our children or at work, there are many ways the heat can be turned up in our lives, but we are to what?  Put our trust and confidence in Him and if we do that, we will become a tree planted next to a stream where our roots can tap into, not just any water, but the Living Water, who is Jesus by the way.  If we do this, the scripture says our leaves will always be green, full of life and thriving.  Think about being the opposite of that; a tree planted in the desert, with no water it can’t survive and it shrivels up and dies.  We have to stay connected to the one true source of living water, so we too can be like a mighty oak, standing strong, with confidence that our source is the source who gives life and takes life.  There is no better place to be, especially in a drought.

We also can read in Psalms 1:3:

1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.

2 But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season,

whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.

4 Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

 nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the LORD guards the path of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Right off the bat, the psalmist is telling us to not walk in the council of the wicked or to set our feet on the path of sinners.  He goes on to tell us to meditate in the Word of God day and night.  You see, the word of God is alive and living.  It has some serious power, just read in Hebrews 4:12-13:

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

So by spending time in it multiple times a day we are filled, like the psalmist is explaining to us.  We will be filled like a tree planted alongside a stream and we too will bear much fruit in season and out of season.  Like it says in Jeremiah our leaves will not wither, but well will prosper.  Now it does go on to tell us that the wicked, those not connected to the Living Water, those who do not meditate in the Word, those who are not producing much fruit will blow away like dry chaff in the wind and so the wicked will perish .

We read in Isaiah 61:3 :

To grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

And in Jeremiah 17:8 :

He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

So here is the message for you today.  We can be a tree that has dry chaff that blows away in the wind or we can be a mighty oak planted next to a stream and have our roots tapped into that living water of God, which will empower us with all the blessings that the Lord has to offer, where we will be able to produce much fruit for Him until Christ returns.  The choice is ours because it is free will we were given.  The Lord will not force Himself on anyone, He is a gentleman.  My prayer is this, if you are not planted near a stream or river, then get yourself uprooted and move to a new location where you will be.  Get yourself replanted so your roots will have a water source to tap into because none of us want to be that dry chaff that just blows away, total separation from our Creator.

I would like to leave you with an image of the water I speak of when referring to the streams and rivers in the Word and it comes from Revelation 22:1: 

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb”

And that’s the image to rest on, one that reminds us of that Living Water power at our fingertips.

Love You All