Most blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is. Jeremiah 17:7 AMPC
Let us consider the context of the verse above which are the words of God to Jeremiah the prophet. The Lord had secured a land flowing with milk and honey for His people, but the people had consistently and persistently rebelled against God's commandments. They had chosen to do wrong, abandoning the God who brought them out of the land of slavery into a land of abundance. It is hard to say with certainty why Israel rebelled against God, but there is a lot of distractions in comfort and convenience without careful boundaries. The people of Israel went as far as putting up poles and altars to strange gods, which could not do anything to help themselves, not to talk of doing the least of the things that God had done for His people.
Before I point the finger at Israel, I must be careful to examine my own current pursuits and priorities. Does God hold absolute sway over all I am and do? Does He command total allegiance from me, or is there room for other alternatives? Is He Lord of all? As we know from God's Word, there is no middle ground, or half-measures; it is either He is Lord of all, or not Lord at all. He will not contest Lordship and authority with anyone or anything, not because of an identity crisis, or being unsure of who He is, but because He wants me to choose to submit to Him of my freewill. He wil not force Himself on anyone, or go against the exercise of my freewill.
It is the exercise of that freewill that lies at the heart of the message in the verse above. As we know, God always lays out what you stand to gain in union with Him, and what you stand to lose away from Him. He leaves us in no doubt. Check out the opposite of the verse above: “This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord". These are words directly from the mouth of God, not reported speech. How can the created sustain that which was also created? What help can that which is mortal and vulnerable render to that which is equally also mortal?
That is why only the eternal and immortal can help and sustain the mortal. Only the Creator can help the created. If your trust is in the created, be sure that, like all created things without God, there is no hope for the future. For the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, the verse above calls such a man most blessed. This is a man whose heart is fixed on God, no matter what happens around him. His mind is msde up, and events around him are not strong enough to upset the stability inside him. Who is the source of my hope and confidence? Remember: God can only sustain that which He has ordained or originated. Is He your hope? God's time of favour is here.
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