Jeremiah 17:5-6

5 Thus says the LORD:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes flesh his strength,
Whose heart departs from the LORD.
6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,
And shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
In a salt land which is not inhabited.
Jeremiah 17:5-6 NKJV

Verses 5 and 6 contrast with verses 7 and 8. Trusting in man is contrasted with trusting in God. Our fellow humans disappoint us time after time. We place faith in a politician or a family member or our employer to do something for us. Sometimes they seem to come through, more often they don't. Our expectations and our emotional needs are too high for a person to fulfill them. We rely on others to do what we have to do for ourselves or we rely on others to do things that only God can do for us. Too often we rely on ourselves to do things that only God can do for us. We can't save ourselves any more than our significant other can make us happy or someone can gives us enough money to make us content. We are cursed because we wait for good things to happen to us, trusting in someone or something to make things work out for us. Time after time we seek an easy way to reach the success we are sure we deserve, not caring to trust in God to lead us along a path which seems to be difficult and hard from the view we have. God knows what we see is not the reality of what we will experience on the journey if we trust in Him and allow Him to walk with us to guide us and help us. We want to stay in the dry waterless place we are used to and comfortable with in our misery, all the while searching for the water of life in the desert of our own minds. We close our hearts to God as He tries to direct us to take a path that will lead to the life giving water we crave. We may say we trust Him, but we refuse to follow Him to the place we want to go. We desperately need the water of life and we know we need the water to live, but instead of letting God take us to the water, we stay in the desert. We trust in people to give us the water we crave, but seem only to get a putrid sip every now and again while our spirit slowly withers within us. Instead of trusting in God and letting Him show us the path on which we need to walk, our eyes are closed so that we do not see when good comes to us. Those who are sent by God to help us we reject,while being drawn by the arid hope of many who do not love us and who desire to see us fail. If only we will let God into our hearts and let Him open our eyes to see the truth He wants to share with us. He stands beside us with life-giving cool water, waiting to lead us to a place where we will forever have all the water we can possibly need and use. Water that is bubbling up out of Jesus and flowing to us with its life giving properties. Let us drink from that water and not continue to inhabit the parched places in the uninhabitable salt lands of reliance on ourselves and the sinful flesh of those around us.

Lord,
Help me today to drink of Your water. Lead me from the parched dry land of self reliance to the river of Your love and life. Open my eyes that I might see what You know I need to see. Open my heart that I might accept the truth You know I need to have.