Flourishing Life

There's a scripture that jumped out at me when preparing for the Stressbusters series that I mentioned in passing in the second message, meant to expand upon in this past week's message, but after working on the message, decided it just wouldn't fit. The beauty of a blog is the opportunity to expand on a passage that I might not have time for during worship.

Here we learn that putting our confidence in God and putting our trust in God has positive benefits for how we deal with the stresses and worries of this life. Understand, that the context… context is everything… is Jeremiah proclaiming God's Word to Israel during a time of Israel's continual rebellion against God. Just before this passage, he is sharing with them that those who put their trust in other things, such as idols or prosperity, will find their world crashing down around them. Indeed, this is what happened to Israel. But those whose trust is in Yahweh, the God of Israel, will be fine when the drought comes because they are rooted in God's truth and love.

The imagery of a tree planted by the water in the wilderness or desert is beautiful. The surrounding landscape is dry and seemingly lifeless, yet the tree planted by the stream is green, alive, and thriving, producing fruit. Seeds that fall too far away from the source of water may sprout due to a rare rainfall, but will not survive long term because the roots wither.

Everyone experiences seasons of drought. Troubles come to us all. No one will travel the journey of life without anxiety and stress. What will it do to you? Most of the negative effects of stress are internal, having to do with our coping skills and strategies. Those who cope with stress well tend to do better in life than those who do not. If you cope with stress in healthy ways, you can a) handle more stress, and b) survive stressful situations with less deleterious effects on your health, both physical and mental. The greatest "stress coping mechanism" is not a quick fix technique, it's not something you learn in a seminar, it cannot be found in a prescription medication. The most effective means of coming through a drought strong, healthy, and refreshed is a deep and meaningful relationship with God.

Returning to Jeremiah's metaphor of the tree, think of water as representing grace. Grace is unmerited love. God doesn't give you grace because you deserve it, then it wouldn't be called grace. God gives grace because he wants to give grace. Grace is free. When we are trusting God, putting our confidence in him and not in ourselves or our money, our lives are more open to the life-giving flow of his grace. We need grace to live. The problem comes when we think we need other things more than we need grace.

So, in times of high or low anxiety, trust in the Lord with all your being. God cares for you. His love for you is infinite. His grace will give you life.