The Bible Edge
Everyone needs an Edge, Believers can have a Bible Edge
August 16
Daily Reading: Jeremiah 14-17
Jeremiah 17:7
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
In a resemblance of Psalm chapter one, Jeremiah states conclusively that blessings follow those who trust the Lord, who hope only in Him. Just as King David said in Psalm 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water… Jeremiah says For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters… (17:8). In the midst of dire warnings, God through Jeremiah gives each and every individual a promise on which to depend.
Through trust in Him, blessings flow. Jesus said it like this, If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? (Matthew 7:11) Only those who trust their earthly father to give them whatsoever they ask will ask. Look at it like this, a child would not ask their father if they could borrow the car, if they did not know that their father has a car to borrow. Likewise, a child of God would not ask the heavenly Father for something that they did not trust that He could give. For example, for a person to ask God the Father to give them the Holy Spirit takes trust that there is a Holy Spirit and that the Father has the ability to give Him to them. They trust God’s ability because of verses like Luke 11:13. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?
Asking God to give the Holy Spirit then is to trust the Lord that He has the ability to perform that which is asked. This is trusting the Lord in its basic sense. When a person asks the Lord to save them from the penalties of sin, they are putting their trust in Him to forgive them based upon His promise to do so. Asking the Father for anything in prayer is the outgrowth of one’s faith that He can give that which is asked. The Lord may say no to the request, as He often does, but that does not diminish the trust a person has in Him or shouldn’t. After all, there is no guarantee that everything we ask He will do. In this too there is, there must be, an element of trust in Him.
In the midst of Jeremiah’s prophecy of doom and gloom, the Lord includes a ray of hope. An olive branch if you will. A promise to bless any and all who put their trust in the Lord. The great thing about this promise is its individuality. Even in the midst of national upheaval, the individual can be blessed if they simply trust in the Lord. Not everyone will trust Him…but you can!
Until tomorrow, live for Christ today.
William T. Howe, Ph.D.
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