Thus says the Lord,
“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, and
whose heart turns away from the Lord…Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord
and whose trust in is in the Lord.” ~ Jeremiah 17:5, 7 NASB
Have you ever considered how our viewpoint changes the
way we act or react in situations? In
studying Jeremiah 17, I found that the word “man” means “strong man, warrior
(emphasizing strength or ability to fight).”
In realizing that “man” means “warrior” I read these verses in a
completely different light:
“Cursed is the warrior who makes
mankind or flesh the source of his security and strength, whose mind, will, and
heart turn away or depart from the Lord…Blessed is the warrior who makes the
Lord the source of his security and strength, whose refuge, object of
confidence, and security are in the Lord.”
If you think of yourself as a warrior, where do you get
your strength? Is it from money, power,
eating a good breakfast, or having your ego stroked by others? Sure, those things may help, but in the long
run, those things will fail and fold and you’ll be left with nothing. But when we make the Lord the source of our
strength and security, as well as the place of our refuge and object of our
confidence, how can we lose?
What things are you facing today? What issues or worries do you have? Are you facing them as a mere man whose
strength wanes with the wind or are you standing as a confident warrior with
the Lord as your strength and your shield?
If it’s the former, it doesn’t have to stay that way. The Lord is always available to us and
refreshes and strengthens us when we turn to Him and make Him our source of
security and strength.
Lord, I pray that regardless of the issues facing us,
that we would remember that we can rely upon You and run to You as our refuge and
our source of strength. Lord, I pray
that we would remember that You have called us warriors and You desire to equip
us in Your strength and Your power to achieve Your victory for Your glory. Father, please forgive us for turning to
other things, even people, to build us up.
Help us to remember that You are the source of everything we need. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
©Heather Potts 2014
