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Devotional

Blessed Are Those: Thirsty Roots

by JODIE PINE NOURISHMENT Spiritual wellness Dependence Seeing & not seeing fruit
Blessed Are Those: Thirsty Roots
“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 never stop producing fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8

One sticky summer afternoon, my kids and I ventured down to the Yellow River to play. We brought along a set of plastic shovels and a bucket and pretended that we were headed to a real beach. We found a quiet spot by the riverside and set to work, digging a little path that led to the river.


As we uncovered rocks and piled them to the side, we tapped into an underground water source. What a fun surprise to see it bubble up and fill the hole we had created. The water even seemed clean when it first appeared—unlike the nearby polluted Yellow River water. Soon we had a miniature “lake” supplied by this underground water source, as we excitedly dug a bigger and bigger hole.


Our original plan was to take turns pouring buckets of river water into our dug-out path to see if it could reach the river. But that route was only temporary, as the water kept running out. Our underground water source allowed our hole to remain filled, and provided us with a symbolic picture of the never-ending source of living water: water that nourishes and quenches real heart thirst. Water that keeps the trees of our lives green and fruit-bearing, even during an extended time of dryness.


“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 never stop producing fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8, NLT


Oh, to have deep-reaching roots that receive nourishment from the true spring of Living Water. To have no worries during an interminable season of drought. To continually produce green leaves and fresh fruit, regardless of external circumstances. To trust deeply in the Lord—who sometimes brings a flood of abundance but more often than not seems to evaporate the rain clouds from my parched life. To not turn away when His actions or non-actions fail to fit into the box I’ve drawn for Him with lines of self-centered expectations. 


I want my thirsty roots to determinedly tunnel their way through the packed dirt of disappointment and discover the never-ending supply of nourishment that only He can provide. 


Prevent my leaves from withering up and dying, Oh God. Enable me to voice, no matter what you bring my way, that it is well with my soul. 


Closing Prayer
Jehovah-Jireh, you are near and you hear our prayers. You desire to fill us with your nourishment, with the Living Water that only you can provide. You have said, “Come to me all who are thirsty, come to the waters.” (Isaiah 55:1). We hear your invitation and we come to you with our thirsty hearts knowing that only you can fill us with what we truly need. May you not say of us today, as you did through Jeremiah, “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” (Jeremiah 2:13) Keep us from digging our own cisterns in vain. Help our thirsty roots to find and to become eternally tapped into your spring of Living Water. Thank you for being our Faithful Provider, especially in our seasons of drought. Amen.
Resources
Book: Green Leaf in Drought by Isobel Kuhn This inspiring true story highlights the way a couple was able to thrive in their faith amidst very challenging circumstances in Communist China.
Song: It is Well by Audrey Assad This is a beautiful version of a well-known song that can help to anchor us during hard times.
Article: Thirsty? by Jodie Pine This blog post is a reflection of the way our God of Living Water quenches our thirst.
Question for Reflection

What passages help you to reflect on God’s nourishment in your times of need?

Comments
Jodie Pine
December 08, 2022

Some passages that minister to me regarding Living Water and God’s nourishment are: Isaiah 43:18-20, Isaiah 58:11, John 4:1-15, John 7:37-39, John 15:1-8, and Revelation 22:1-2.