Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV):

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

Devotional: Deep Roots, Strong Growth

Life is full of storms—whether physical like hurricanes or emotional and spiritual. Storms test the strength of what lies beneath the surface. In Psalm 1, the psalmist beautifully contrasts two kinds of people: those deeply rooted in God’s Word, like a tree planted by streams of water, and those blown about like chaff in the wind.

The metaphor of the tree is powerful. A tree thrives because of its hidden roots, reaching deep into nourishing soil. Similarly, our spiritual formation, the unseen part of our lives, shapes everything else. It’s what keeps us steady when life’s storms come. When our roots are anchored in Christ, we’re not only sustained but fruitful, providing shade and sustenance to others.

As we reflect on the devastation of trees uprooted during storms, especially mango trees, which are particularly vulnerable due to shallow roots, that’s a picture of what happens when our spiritual lives lack depth! Like those trees, we too can fall when challenges arise unless we cultivate deep, abiding roots in Jesus.

Spiritual formation is about more than knowledge—it’s about transformation. It’s about becoming who God designed us to be, aligning the interior (our heart and relationship with God) with the exterior (our actions and mission in the world). Practices like meditating on Scripture, prayer, and reflection help us grow deeper into Christ, drawing from His life-giving waters.

Let’s make it our goal to be trees firmly planted by the streams of God’s grace, with roots that grow deep into His love and truth. Then, when the storms of life come, we’ll stand firm, flourishing not only for ourselves but for the world around us.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for being our stream of living water. Help us to grow deep roots in You, anchoring our hearts and lives in Your truth. Teach us to align our interior lives with Your Spirit so that our outward actions reflect Your love and mission. Make us like trees planted by Your streams, steadfast in storms and fruitful in every season. May our lives be a testament to Your grace, offering shade and sustenance to those around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Psalm 1:

Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Interpretation for Today’s Life

Blessed is the one who refuses to press the Easy button by following the ways of the wicked rather than taking the path of integrity and hard work
Blessed is the one who avoids temptations of the wicked, like…
…Cheating on my taxes by submitting false documentation and using the excuse “The Government owes me this”
…Short changing the cashier when I know I was given too much change in return, resulting in a shortage in their cash drawer to be reconciled and flippantly using the excuse “That’s their loss, my gain”
…Taking credit for someone else’s accomplishments to make me look better, rather than speaking the truth and giving credit where credit is due and using the excuse “I did most of the work anyway and I deserve the credit”
…Covering up my own mistakes by blaming someone else behind their back and using the excuse “They never do anything worthwhile and this wasn’t my fault”
…Taking it out on another in fits of anger or other types of control and using the excuse “They never help me out when I need it or give me a break; I’m always bailing them out”
…Not trusting you God with my brokenness and failures, and instead turning to addictive behaviors using the excuse “I can solve my own problems; and, God wouldn’t help me anyway”
…Making myself out to be more important than you God, and thus committing the vilest of sin using the excuse “Who are you God that I would trust you with my problems? You never answer my prayers. I’ll fix it myself”
Bless us Lord instead when we thirst for your Words of life and meditate on them day and night
Bless us when we sing praises and pray to you in our cars on the way to work or school or during our morning devotion
Bless us when we pray for others and when we lift them up to you on their behalf
Plant us and root us in your Words, like a tree next to a stream of water soaking up the deep waters of life
Let our leaves flourish and never wither
May our trunk grow strong to withstand life’s storms and the never ending attacks of the wicked
May you prosper all of our activities…
…In our interactions with family and friends and our coworkers
…With every conversation we have with those as we go about our day that they may see You living within us
…When we are thankful and gracious to those around us and can see when someone needs encouragement in their day
…When we offer forgiveness to those who hurt us and when we are quick to say we are sorry when we hurt others
…When we do not pass up any opportunity to do a kind deed to the least of these among us
May we not be like paper rubbish blown hither and yonder in the wind like the wicked who have no direction or purpose but of themselves
May we not stand condemned in the judgement but remain strong in the assembly of the righteous
Watch over us, oh Lord, in our walk of righteousness
And keep us from the destructive ways of the wicked
For you are our God
Glory to God in the highest

Amen

Copyright © 2024 by Skyler Thomas