Trust in the Lord for your hope

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)

7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. 8 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.”

Jeremiah tells us our duty is to trust in the Lord. We are to place our confidence in the Lord that no matter what comes along the Lord will be there with us. For our comfort, confidence and hope comes from the Lord.  Strong faith in the Lord resembles a tree planted by the water. We know our roots are firm in our faith and we are able to draw upon the Lord no matter what the circumstances. Even in hard times and difficult situations we are able to bear the fruit of our faith that others may see our hope.

Nancy Ortberg writes -- I worked as a registered nurse for about ten years before my life took a different direction. One of my earliest patients was a young girl of about 14 who had been in a dirt bike accident. I met this young girl down in the physical therapy department. She was in a whirlpool bath. I had read her chart before I went down to work with her and had learned that as a result of the accident, her leg had been amputated below the knee. I couldn’t imagine what it must be like to be a 14-year-old girl with part of your leg missing. I introduced myself, and we made some small talk. Through the course of our time together, I learned that she was a follower of Christ, although she really didn’t say much about that. I was not prepared for her spirit, however, especially when she lifted her freshly amputated leg up above the bubbling water for me to see and said, “Look at how much I have left!” She excitedly told me that since the doctors were able to amputate below the knee, it was much easier to fit a prosthesis. She wondered how long it would take to heal so that she could get started with that. I heard most of what she was saying, but I wasn’t really paying much attention. My mind was fixed back on the “look how much I have left!” Her gratitude seemed really genuine. It wasn’t denial or a Pollyanna mentality. She knew she was missing a good part of her leg, and she wouldn’t have chosen that. But she was so very thankful for this bit of good news. Her spirit made my spirit soar that day. And I had two good legs. [Nancy Ortberg, Looking for God (Tyndale, 2008) pp. 14-15]

When we trust in the Lord we can be blessed with the hope He provides. This young girl could have focused on the part of the leg she was missing, but instead she had hope of walking again with the part of the leg she did have. In Psalm 119:153 it says, “Look upon my suffering and rescue me, for I have not forgotten your instructions.” Those who remember God find His hand always reaching out to rescue them. This girl had lost a part of her leg, but she trusted the Lord and had a great hope for a useful life. Look to the Lord for your hope and look for the blessings you have been given despite the circumstance.