Dear Friends,
We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk. We give thanks to Rev. Dr Joseph Wood, Principal and Senior Lecturer in Theology and Church History, for writing this devotional.
You are welcome to share this and include it in your church newsletters if you wish; we just ask that you please give credit to NTC and the author. Thank you!
Jeremiah 17: 5-10 (NLT)
This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,
who rely on human strength
and turn their hearts away from the Lord.
6 They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,
with no hope for the future.
They will live in the barren wilderness,
in an uninhabited salty land.
7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.
9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?
10 But I, the Lord, search all hearts
and examine secret motives.
I give all people their due rewards,
according to what their actions deserve.”
Devotional
Several years ago, I took the advice of my wife, Kat, and signed up for a 4-day silent retreat at the Northumbria Community retreat centre in the Northeast of England. Having been on many silent retreats over the years, Kat said it would be good opportunity for me to experience God in a different way. Our lives are very noisy and unless we take time to cut out the noise, we may be missing out on hearing what God has to say to us. So, I went.
In short, those few days were life-changing for me. God spoke through the Scriptures, the liturgy, and one-to-one meetings with my mentor (these were the only times we were allowed to speak). I heard God more clearly than I had ever experienced before, but even more than these things, I heard God speak through nature. When I told my mentor that I grew up in rural Tennessee, she recognised my affinity for the outdoors and encouraged me to go for walks around the property. In addition, there were several public walkways I could also access for longer walks. I could write a book about my experience, but I wanted to share just one as a reflection on the passage from Jeremiah.
One morning, my mentor said, “Go for a walk and ask God to tell you something you need to hear.” So I did. I offered a prayer in silence to God and I followed a public path which led me through the forest and beside a river. As I got closer to the river I noticed a little bridge, which had a stream running underneath. On the railing of the bridge was carved the following words: “You are never nearer to God than in the heart of a wood.” Two things struck me in that moment.
1. As I stood there, contemplating that carving, I noticed the river was lined with trees. And I was encouraged: “blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank.” God was wanting to encourage me to remain/abide in Him (John 15.4) and I will bear much fruit.
2. The carving became, for me, a play on words. “You are never nearer to God than in the heart of a wood.” My surname is Wood. Jeremiah said, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things.” A few verses later, however, Jeremiah said, “O Lord if you heal me, I will truly be healed” (v.14). In that moment I received spiritual healing from God that I needed.
So what does it mean to be like a tree planted by a riverbank? For me it took a silent retreat and a walk in nature to figure it out. Maybe for you it will be something different. But for all of us, I believe Jeremiah’s words of warning and encouragement to the people of God, are as needed today as they were when he first spoke them.
Prayer
Lord of all creation, we pray that we may always find ourselves abiding in you, drawing our strength and direction from roots planted deep within your heart. You know each and every one of us. You examine our hearts and offer healing and salvation. May we be open to your transforming love, which surpasses all understanding. Speak to us today. Amen.
Grace and peace,
Rev. Joseph Wood, PhD