“Rooted In The Lord”
Text: Jeremiah 17:5-8
2-13-2022
Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. I think we’d all agree that this past year was a tough one for growing things, especially out in the fields. It was nothing short of a miracle that we had such an abundant crop considering the drought conditions we endured. And for that, we thank the good Lord. But I noticed something. As it got drier and drier, our grass turned brown (because I refused to keep watering it), however, the dry weather had little or no effect on the old, established trees around us. For example, the huge oaks that surround Trinity’s parsonage where we used to live continued to put on leaves and produce acorns like nothing had changed. Even in a normal year, when the strong winds blow the main branches don’t break. And when they’re coated with an inch of ice, they still hold firm and strong. Some of the other tress might bend and break, but not the oaks! That’s why we planted a row of them in the windbreak behind our new house.
Now why are those trees able to withstand such extreme weather conditions and not have it affect them? The answer is their root system. As the oak tree grows, the roots sink down into the soil. And as it gets taller and older, those roots go deeper and deeper. So, when a drought hits, those oaks are able to tap into the subsoil moisture that’s deep down where other plants can’t reach. This powerful root system also provides excellent stability to the tree. The wind can blow as hard as it wants but these trees won’t topple over. Because of their massive root system, oak trees can sometimes live 150-300 years!
That picture of a sturdy tree is what Jeremiah is painting for us in our Old Testament lesson. He uses it to highlight the difference between the people who trust in the Lord and those who trust in the power of mankind. Believers who trust in the Lord are like a mighty oak with a deep root system. And the people who trust in the power of humans are like scrub brush out in the desert with shallow roots. That was a powerful message for the people of Judah to hear thousands of years ago. You see, they had made a fatal spiritual mistake. God had planted them in the very fertile land of Canaan. He promised to care for them and shower them with everything they needed, including protection from their enemies. But over time, they had slipped further and further into sin and further away from God. They weren’t sinking their roots of trust deep into God’s promises. Rather, they were trusting in their own shallow strength.
By the time of Jeremiah, the people of Judah were in big trouble. They were surrounded by countries with powerful armies. Quite frankly, the land where Judah was located had become a political football. (Yes, I know it’s Superbowl Sunday but that pun was unintentional.) The Assyrians invaded and took them over. Later the Babylonians took possession from the Assyrians. Then the Egyptians attacked the Babylonians and through all of this Israel was tossed back and forth between the powerful nations around them. This helpless condition was punishment for the Israelites because they had stopped trusting in God. He would have fought for them and kept out the invading armies, but they refused to turn their hearts back to the Lord. Instead, they did the opposite. They trusted in human strength and power. When the Babylonians threatened to attack, they made treaties with some of the other nations hoping they would be kept safe. Their plan backfired. They couldn’t or wouldn’t stop the king of Babylon and he was furious with Judah for their attempt at political intrigue. So, he came in and destroyed the Temple and deported most of the people.
That’s the background of what was going on when Jeremiah wrote those strong words in our text. He urged God’s people to turn back to Him. But they chose to put their trust in their own wisdom and the power of foreign nations. Jeremiah said that if they trusted in mankind they were like a shrub in the desert with shallow roots. Every wind of tragedy that came their way threatened to uproot them and blow them away. Eventually, that’s exactly what happened. They were ripped away from their homeland and carried off into captivity. They were cursed just like Jeremiah had said, because they had placed their trust in the strength of human flesh.
How sad it is to look back at this history of the people of Judah and see that it didn’t have to be that way. But friends, are we any different? Oh, I know that we aren’t currently being threatened by invading armies on our borders. And yet, we are under attack each and every day from the armies of evil that surround us. Their weapons aren’t guns and bombs and tanks. Rather, they use strong temptations along with a healthy dose of doubt and worry to lure us into trusting mankind rather than God. When we face difficult times in our lives, where do we turn to first? You know the answer. We start off by trying to work out our problems on our own, without seeking God’s help or guidance. When we fail and make a mess of everything then we turn to other people. And when they fail to help us with our problem, that’s when we finally turn to God.
For example, when we have health problems, we immediately sink our roots of trust into doctors and medicine instead of God. Don’t misunderstand. It’s wise to seek medical help, but fervent prayer to the Lord should precede that. After all, He’s the one who provides our medical professionals with the wisdom, skills, and medicines to bring about healing. When we have marital problems, far too many people turn to Dr. Phil or the shallow advice of their friends rather than turning to God. Here again, don’t misunderstand me. Finding a competent and Godly marriage counselor is fine. But our first reaction even before that should be to turn to the Lord and trust in Him. What about the almighty lottery ticket? Some folks trust that if they can just pick the right one or the right number then all their money problems will go away. Sorry. There is no wisdom that I can commend in that kind of thinking. God doesn’t play games of chance because He controls all things. Sinking your roots of trust into the lottery system is like planting a tree in the sands of the desert. It cannot possibly flourish in the long run. Instead, the Lord wants you to fear, love, and TRUST in Him above all things.
Those are just a few examples and I’m sure you could come up with a whole bunch more. The size or severity of the crisis doesn’t matter. Whether we’re talking about cancer or bad grades in school, our world can only offer shallow solutions to our problems. Jeremiah says if we sink our roots of trust in them, we’ll be like a shrub in the desert. Picture that for just a minute. A brief rain showers down on a bush in the desert and for a little while it looks green and full of life. But soon, the heat of the desert dries up that temporary surface moisture. Then the bush turns brown and dies. The strong wind blows and it’s uprooted and rolls away like a tumbleweed. That’s how it goes with people too. Manmade solutions to our problems are like a brief shower. For a little while things look great. But one hot blast from real trouble and we shrivel up in despair. That’s because those solutions are only a temporary fix. If our roots of trust are sunk into such shallow answers it won’t take much before we get uprooted and our lives go tumbling away across a desert of confusion and suffering.
Thank God that He sent men like Jeremiah to tell us about a better alternative. Actually, it’s the only alternative to this hopeless situation. God says that if you will sink your roots of trust deep in Him, He’ll water your soul with an eternal hope. And that hope will sustain you with a vibrant inner life that survives even when the problems of this world strike. Just like those oak trees, when the winds of trouble blow, you’ll be able to stand firm and unshaken. When the drought of despair hits, you’ll be watered with hope from roots that are tapped into God’s source of eternal life.
Have you ever known someone who has their roots of trust deep within God? I have. And it’s a beautiful thing to see. When life’s troubles hit, they stand tall, and sturdy, and flourishing like those oak trees in the middle of a drought. But do you know when those deep roots of trust in God can really be seen? At a Christian funeral. When I’m helping a family plan a funeral for their loved one, it’s SO much easier when they have a firm faith. The reason why is because a believer’s hope is deeply rooted in their trust of God. I’ve witnessed this many times over even when there’s a tragic death. Yes, the tears flow but they aren’t tears of hopeless despair. Those tears are merely a sign of the pain caused by a temporary separation until the day of resurrection. But behind those tears is the sure hope of eternal life.
That’s why St. Paul says in the Epistle Lesson: “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” He’s echoing the same thing as Jeremiah and applying it to the seemingly hopeless “problem” of death. If our roots of trust in God are only good for getting us through the temporary troubles in this life then we are to be pitied. That’s a shallow trust. On the other hand, if we have a deep trust in God, He will supply us with a hope that can even look death in the face without any fear. That’s because God has given us an eternal hope to tap into. God planted you firmly beside His river of living water when you were Baptized. He gave you roots of faith which can reach down and tap into that life giving water for your soul. And through it, He has promised to sustain you in the face of every tragedy, even death.
What a blessing it is to be firmly rooted in trusting our gracious God. As our souls are fed by His life-giving water may we produce fruits of faith that are pleasing to God and which are visible to our fellow man. That fruit of faith can lead people to ask us how we’re able to stand so firm in adversity. May the Holy Spirit give us the words at those times to share the good news of repentance, forgiveness, and eternal life through Jesus. And may God bless us daily with even deeper roots of trust in Him. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!