Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV) “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.”

After having moved from a bustling inner city to the beautiful state of Maryland, I learned a thing or two about trees that I didn’t know (Maryland has a lot of trees!). One of the things that I learned is that trees sometimes get sick, die and fall over and evidenced in my back and front yards a few times. There are many reasons why that happens but one of them is that they may not be getting the proper amount of water that they need to stay strong and healthy. I have seen trees that are in very close proximity to a stream or body of water and they look very strong and healthy. Also, having learned about a tree's root system, I know that some of those trees’ long roots shoot straight to that water source for a constant supply of water. A tree in a position like that stays healthy and lasts a long time. Not only that, but a tree that is planted that close to a source of water does not have to fear when it’s too hot outside or worry that its water supply will run out.

But let’s get to the true meaning of this passage of scripture. God is not really concerned about a tree by a stream but is using a beautiful and practical illustration of what happens when a living organism has planted itself by a living water source. He is talking about us, His people. The living water source is none other than Himself and we can access that water source by putting our trust and our confidence in Him. In John 4:14, Jesus told us that whoever drinks of His living water will never thirst. That thirst represents the fear that we feel when trouble or life’s challenges come and the worry that we experience thinking about the uncertainty of the future. This is worry such as, “If something happens to my job, how will I survive? What if I get sick?” There are plenty of things to be fearful about in this world and plenty of uncertainties in this life that can keep us worried perpetually. But...when you learn that Jesus is trustworthy like no one else is and that you can lean on Him with all your weight, then fear and worry leave you and the peace of God replaces them.

We have access to the greatest stream, or better put, the greatest living water source in the world. We have Jesus in whom is found everything that we need for life and for godliness. We can be just like that fearless and worriless tree that is constantly supplied with what it needs to live. Jesus is the fountain of life that is more than enough for every need be it physical, emotional or spiritual. Let’s put all our trust in Him so that we can not only be at peace without fear or worry, but so that we can also bear much fruit for the Kingdom of God.

Pastor Joey Vazquez