Jeremiah 17:13, “O hope of Israel! O Lord! All who forsake
you shall be put to shame, those who turn away from you shall be recorded in
the underworld, for they have forsaken the fountain of living water, the Lord.”
In seasons of drought, crocodiles often go into hibernation
for several months. They dig out a den of mud in river or waterhole and wait.
They trust the water to return. Other times Nile crocodiles will move across
dry land to another habitat to find a water source. They survive. They trust.
They wait.
Throughout times of plenty and times of tribulation Israel
never stopped recognizing the hope of Messiah. Even during seasons of their
history when they outright disobeyed God’s laws or counsel. So why would they turn
away from His truth?
Why do we?
Israel had the belief and hope of Messiah, yet no concrete
measurable concrete historical to verify. Like Abraham waiting for his heir,
they believed in the promise but often chose to use their own solutions in the meantime.
In case God was absent, or had forgotten, or was unable. And every time they
failed.
We have historical proof. Messiah has come, is present to
us, and will return. We trust in that overall hope, as did Israel. Until the
drought comes, or the pressure, or indecision, or cost of relationships, or….,
and stress whittles away a sense of security.
Then we sometimes pick and choose which parts of truth words
to live by. We exist by drops of water instead of asking for God’s rain to soak
us through and saturate us from the inside out. We forget to hide ourselves in
His whole provision—maybe because we don’t want the solution to be hibernating
in a mud-hole waiting.
Forgive us, Lord, for substituting our own solutions instead
of relying on your fountain of life giving hope. May we thirst for your words
every day and never doubt in Your answer. May we remember to ask in faith.
Psalm of Worship: Psalm 72:6
“May he come down like rain upon the mown grass,
Like showers that water the earth.
(request of King Soloman for his rule as king)
