Planted by Water – February 17, 2025

This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. “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.”
Jeremiah 17:5-8

Planted by Water

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Matt planted a bunch of new trees and shrubs at the church one Spring. He loved his church and wanted to make an area look better with new plants. It worked! The plants were beautiful and the church looked better that Spring but then came the hot summer weather. The plants began to look bad and started to lose their leaves. Despite Matt’s best efforts to give them water and care, most of the plants dried out and died. A little investigation revealed that the area Matt hoped to make nicer had been a spot where the builder had dumped a lot of leftover bricks. Despite looking nice for a while they dried out because of the bad soil concealing junk underneath.

The prophet Jeremiah said that the one who trusts in man is like a bush planted in the wasteland. It may look good for a while, but it won’t last.

On the other hand, the one who trusts the Lord is like a tree planted by water. Even when the difficult heat comes it doesn’t worry as its leaves remain green and it continues to bear fruit.

It’s easy to trust the things of this world and for a while they look good. Maybe you trust your athletic abilities and that you will always get picked first. Maybe you trust that your friends will always be there for you and won’t ever hurt you or disappoint you. Maybe you trust that you will always be the best at music or singing. However, all these things only look good for a while. Eventually you won’t get picked first and the friend will hurt your feelings and there will be a better musician than you.

Putting our trust in Jesus means that we will never be disappointed. Jesus has always kept his promises, and he always will. Everything that he has said he will do will be done. There might be times when things are difficult, and the sun beats down. But like that tree planted by streams of water, God promises to nourish you through those difficult days with his Word.

You are that tree planted by streams of water. Trust in God’s good Word to sustain you.

Closing Prayer:

Mighty God, thank you for planting us by streams of water. Help us to not trust the things of the world but to rely on your certain Word to sustain us. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• Describe what happened to the shrub planted in the wilderness.
• Now describe what happened to the tree planted by water (even when the heat comes!).

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• Name something you’ve recently enjoyed, but you were disappointed because it didn’t last.
• When fun times don’t last, how does God’s promise help you stay happy?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• TRUE or FALSE. American culture idolizes what is young and beautiful (be prepared to explain your answer).
• A lifelong connection to God’s Word will keep your soul feeling young. If that’s true for you, consider a way to position yourself so you can better soak up the life-giving water of God’s Word.