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Blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh, and whose confidence is in Yahweh. For he will be as a tree planted by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green; and will not be concerned in the year of drought. It won’t cease from yielding fruit.
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Today’s message
Perhaps you look at the garden bed and say: it dried up. Leaves on the ground, hard branches, no sign of color. We quickly conclude: it's over. But just let the hose water the soil and, days later, a green shoot breaks through the brown. The prophet invites us to see life with God this way: neither buried by problems nor forgotten in the yard. Planted. At the scent of water, what seemed dead begins again. Trust is this in concrete: to sink roots where He is and wait to sprout, even when nothing around applauds.
Jeremiah spoke to Judah, wounded and proud, warning about what happens when the heart turns away from the Lord and trusts in its own strength (Jeremiah 17:5). Then, he raises the image that guides us: those who trust in the Lord are like a tree by the waters. Trusting, said the preacher, is not a religious title; it is believing in the unchanging character of God—holy, just, faithful, Father. This trust changes where we are planted and the direction of the roots. It's not a desert: it's a stream. It's not anxiety: it's a green leaf in the heat.
Three truths you need to keep in your heart about trusting God
- I am planted in God, I was not buried by life.
- Understand, respect, and submit to God's process.
- In the year of drought, it will not cease to bear fruit.
I was planted by God, I was not buried by life.
The process is not punishment; it's a path. A tree does not grow large overnight. The seed seems insignificant in the pocket, but God sees the forest within it. The preacher reminded us: understand, respect, and submit to the process. Today you see yourself as a seed; tomorrow, a trunk; later, fruit that carries new seeds. The difference between planting and burying is purpose. God does not work by chance. He planted us in good soil—His Kingdom—and expects to see life sprouting where many only see hard ground.
Job testified: there is hope for a tree; even if cut down, at the scent of water it will sprout again (Job 14:7-9). Jeremiah's stream is this source that sustains when the heat comes. In Isaiah 5, God prepared the vineyard with care and expected good grapes: God plants with expectation. On this expectation, the pastor insisted: God remains in control. He who began the good work will complete it (Philippians 1:6). We were chosen to bear fruit that remains (John 15:16). Planted, not buried. Hope, not giving up.
Direct application: rise up. Be the best you can be in God now. Give your best in marriage, ministry, life. Uproot the mentality of being buried by debts, losses, or frustrations. In the year of drought, extend roots to the stream—Word and prayer—and continue bearing fruit. Psalm 1 echoes this promise of the same tree by the waters. Walk today in this practical conviction: God planted you in this time and land for a purpose; He expects fruit, and He Himself sustains your green.
Did you know
- Jeremiah contrasts two paths: those who trust in man are like a bush in the desert (Jeremiah 17:5), and those who trust in the Lord are like a tree by the waters (Jeremiah 17:7-8).
- Isaiah 5 describes real practices of ancient viticulture: removing stones, planting good vines, erecting a watchtower, and digging a winepress.
- In the ancient Near East, seasonal streams and springs were vital; trees with roots by the waters withstood droughts and sprouted again with the rains.
Key phrases
- I was planted by God, I was not buried by life.
- The difference lies in the purpose of who planted.
- In the year of drought, it will not cease to bear fruit.
- Whatever I do will prosper.
Translated from the Portuguese original.
Seek
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Pr. Nei Messias | Planted by God
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