Deep Roots 深深扎根
Dexu Xia
Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. Jeremiah 17:7
Today's Scripture Jeremiah 17:1-8
Today's Insights Jeremiah warned the unrepentant, idolatrous people of Judah that God would exile them to Babylon for their unfaithfulness (Jeremiah 25:8-11). God persistently and patiently urged them to repent before it was too late (35:15) and promised restoration and blessing once discipline was complete (31:23-28). In chapter 17, Jeremiah contrasts the curses on the ungodly with the blessings on the godly (vv. 5-8). In language reminiscent of Psalm 1:1-3, the prophet proclaims: “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. . . . They will be like a tree planted by the water” (Jeremiah 17:7-8). In contrast, cursed are those who “turn their hearts away from the Lord . . . with no hope for the future” (vv. 5-6 nlt). The curse and blessing motifs are also in line with the covenantal consequences laid out in Deuteronomy 28. In times of adversity, Jeremiah reminds us that our security, stability, faithfulness, and fruitfulness are rooted in our trust in God, not in men
Today's Devotion As Douglas Kent, a landscape architect, toured a charred Los Angeles neighborhood after the city’s raging 2025 wildfires, he encountered a shocking surprise—trees, alive and green, right next to melted cars and burned buildings. Many of them bore lush palms and leaves, abundant fruit, and strong trunks and branches. How?
After two consecutive rainy winters, the trees’ roots had reached deep into the soil to draw moisture, carrying it to branches and leaves. In a fire, they proved resistant. “What I saw,” said Kent, “was that if you were deep-rooted, you survived.”
Our faith during the fiery trials of life can be like that. As we set our spiritual roots deep in Christ and His love, we become “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” (Jeremiah 17:8).
Jeremiah, who never minced words, warned that those who trust in “mere flesh” are “cursed” (v. 5). “That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes.” Instead, “they will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives” (vv. 5-6). How much better to trust in God! Well-watered by His sustaining love, we thrive even in raging times, bearing spiritual fruit in Him.
Reflect & Pray
How deep are your roots in Christ? How can you trust Him during fiery trials?
Dear God, as the world seems to burn around me, please remind me to trust in You. By Patricia Raybon
“倚靠耶和华的人有福了。”（耶利米书 17:7 ）
今日经文：耶利米书 17章1-8节
今日洞见：耶利米曾警告那些不知悔改、崇拜偶像的犹大人：因为他们对上帝不忠，上帝必将他们流放到巴比伦去（耶利米书 25:8-11）。至始至终，他们对上帝耐心敦促他们及时悔改充耳不闻（35:15）。然而，上帝仍旧应许，一旦管教期满，祂会赐下复兴与祝福（31:23-28）。在17章中，耶利米把那即将临到不敬虔之人的咒诅，与临到敬虔之人的祝福作了鲜明的对比（5-8节）。先知以令人联想到诗篇1章1-3节的经文宣告： “倚靠耶和华的人有福了……他必像一棵树栽在水旁”（耶利米书 17:7-8）。相比之下，那些“心偏离耶和华……对未来毫无指望”的人，则是受咒诅的（5-6节）。这种关于咒诅与祝福的主题，也与申命记28章中所阐明的盟约后果相吻合。在身处逆境之时，耶利米提醒我们：我们的安全、稳固、忠心以及丰硕的生命果实，其根基乃在于我们对上帝的信靠，而非对人的倚赖。
今日灵修：景观设计师道格拉斯·肯特在2025年洛杉矶那场猛烈山火肆虐之后，视察了一片被烧成焦土的社区。在那里，他遭遇了一个令人震惊的景象：就在那些熔化的汽车和烧毁的建筑旁，竟矗立着一棵棵生机勃勃、绿意盎然的树木。其中许多树木依然枝叶繁茂、果实累累，树干和枝条也依然强健有力。这究竟是如何做到的呢？原来，经过连续两个多雨的冬季，这些树木的根系已深深扎入土壤之中汲取水分，并将水分输送至枝叶各处。因此，当大火袭来时，它们展现出了惊人的抵御能力。“我所看到的景象表明，”肯特说道，“只要你的根扎得够深，你就一定能存活下来。”
在面对生命中那些如烈火般的试炼时，我们的信仰也当是如此。当我们把属灵的根深深扎入基督及其大爱之中时，我们便会变得“像一棵树栽在水旁，根延入河边；炎热来到，并不惧怕，叶子仍旧青翠；在干旱之年，毫无挂虑，而且结果不止”（耶利米书 17:8）。 耶利米这位说话向来直言不讳的先知曾发出警告：那些倚靠“血肉之躯”，即依靠人生理能力的人是“受咒诅的”（5节）。“他必像旷野的灌木，福乐临到，他却看不见。”相反，“他必住在旷野干旱之地，在无人居住的盐地”（5-6节）。
倚靠上帝，该是何等美善！因得着祂那恒久之爱的滋养，即便身处动荡狂暴的年代，我们依然能茁壮成长，并在祂里面结出属灵的果实。
反思与祷告 你在基督里扎根有多深？在烈火般的试炼中，你当如何信靠祂？ 亲爱的上帝，当我周围的世界似乎已陷入烈火中时，求祢提醒我：要单单信靠祢。
作者：帕特里夏·雷本