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Morning Devotion for Wednesday in Holy Week
April 16, 2025
Reading:Jeremiah 17:5-10
Thus says the Lord:
Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals
and make mere flesh their strength,
whose hearts turn away from the Lord.
They shall be like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see when relief comes.
They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.
Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
They shall be like a tree planted by water,
sending out its roots by the stream.
It shall not fear when heat comes,
and its leaves shall stay green;
in the year of drought it is not anxious,
and it does not cease to bear fruit.
The heart is devious above all else;
it is perverse—
who can understand it?
I the Lord test the mind
and search the heart,
to give to all according to their ways,
according to the fruit of their doings.
Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones
Trust, faith and belief are complex. If ever there is a time when these words are tested it would be during Holy Week. For this very passage goes to the heart of faith. There are various ways in which the matter of faith arises in scripture and is often nuanced. Paul considers faith the proper response to God’s grace. In John’s Gospel the disciples’s proper response to Jesus’ presence and signs is to believe. It is a recurring response for them at several of Jesus’ signs. Belief is not a static condition. Some come to believe only after a long process. The exercise of trust, faith, and belief intertwine. All three involve both intellectual wrestling and emotional response. All three prove elusive and difficult to define precisely. Yet the entire biblical witness seeks to develop trust, faith and belief. This passage from Jeremiah adds its insights to the rest of scripture.
The immediate context of this passage involves the strategy of Judah’s leaders to form an alliance with Egypt against the Babylonians. Jeremiah’s message to Judah and its leaders was to trust in the Lord, not in political and military alliances. The attempt to fight back prompted the Babylonians to tighten their grip, eventually destroying the city and temple and sending the Judeans, including Jeremiah, into exile.
In today’s world, countries regularly have formed alliances, signed treaties, and cooperated both militarily and commercially. In national and international matters, it is hoped that the parties would reflect on the ethical and moral dimensions of these alliances. Recently these practices seem to be the exception, rather than the norm. It seems all the more necessary that in such uncertainly, given the high risks, uncertain outcomes and potential harm to many that we depend all the more on our trust in God.
During Holy Week we grow increasingly more mindful that we consider how we can trust in God. Although the passage cautions against trusting in people, we are constantly entering into relationships that call upon us to trust in people. The challenge is that we not prioritize our trust in people lest we turn our hearts away from God. The challenge that is posed is to either/or thinking. Life does not work out so simply. In today’s world. Obedience, trust, wisdom do not lead to success or prosperity. Those who trust will survive and bear fruit despite challenging conditions.
God searches our heart and understands our struggles to trust. Iin giving “to all according to their ways,” God may enable us to trust. The whole witness of scripture teaches that trust, faith, and belief are complex. We come to it as best and when we can. God works within our lives to draw out trust. Trust does not ensure outward success. Trust enables each person and the church to rise above despair and cynicism. Trust maintains our connection to God, even in our difficulties. Trust produces fruit even in what appears as unproductive soil.
A Prayer for Protection
Assist us mercifully, O Lord, in these our supplications and prayers, and dispose the way of your servants towards the attainment of everlasting salvation; that, among all the changes and chances of this mortal life, they may ever be defended by your gracious and ready help; through Jesus Christ our Lord.. Amen.
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