But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and has made the LORD his hope and confidence. He is like a tree planted along a riverbank, with its roots reaching deep into the water—a tree not bothered by the heat nor worried by long months of drought. Its leaves stay green, and it goes right on producing all its luscious fruit. Jeremiah 17:7–8 (TLB)

I love looking at the big, tall trees on the riverbank by the Mississippi River. I also appreciate their shade while I stroll on the bank, gazing at the muddy waters in the river. The roots of those trees go deep down in the river, which lets me know they have been there a long time. In my lifetime, there have been several floods that sent the river waters over the riverbank. The water completely covered the park area and the parking lot. Yet, after the water returned to the river, the trees on the riverbank were still standing tall. They have managed to thrive in other harsh conditions as well. Even in extreme heat, their leaves remain green.

In Psalm 1:1–3, David compared the person who delights in the Lord and meditates daily on His Word to a tree planted by the riverbank. The last line of the Scripture states that this person will be successful. I desire to be like a tree planted by the riverbank with my roots in the water, confident I will always be watered and nourished. As we learn to trust in the Lord, our hope and faith in Jesus will continuously fill us with confidence, helping us stand strong even when the conditions around us are hot and dry. If we stay rooted and grounded in His Word, we will be as trees planted by the riverbank.

FAITH STEP: Look at pictures of the roots of trees on a riverbank. Notice how deep they are and picture yourself as a tree with your faith rooted and grounded in Christ.

After it his voice roars; he thunders with his majestic voice, and he does not restrain the lightnings when his voice is heard. —Job 37:4 (ESV)

Thunder booms. Sheer energy fills the air. Dark for day time, but no rain yet. Distant rumbles are punctuated with deep vibration like a drumbeat—a heartbeat, an earth-beat perhaps—and I’m struck by how amazing the world is. I think we forget its amazement sometimes, most times, watching TV or reading of the many tragedies that befall us. We forget about things like heartbeats and love, nature and all its wonders, and awe-inspiring phenomena like lightning and thunder.

The spring my sister died, a rare and endangered flower appeared out of nowhere all around the tree trunks of our yard. I researched and discovered how precious they were and couldn’t for the life of me figure out how or why they grew and thrived. The synchronicity of their appearance, timed exactly one month after my sister’s sudden death, seemed like a sign somehow, more than just a coincidence. The rain pelts the tin roof, rattling a calming hum. It grows louder and louder until it seems the whole house is an instrument of heaven’s music. The rare flowers have yet to appear again, but there are more gifts to see and hear.

In every blooming flower, every clap of thunder, every downpour, I feel God. I tell these things to my sons, who are now too old to hear it, too distracted by handheld gadgets, texts, and video games. I pray that someday they’ll discover it for themselves. I think that’s part of the magic—God’s presence can’t really be pointed out by another. It happens the way you fall in love, uniquely yours to stumble upon, to discover deep in the crevices of your heart, right where it has always been.

Heavenly Father, thank You, thank You, thank You for this beautiful and amazing life.

But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life. John 4:14 (NLT)

For the gazillionth time that hour I wiped sweat from the back of my neck. One hundred degrees. What a day for the zoo! Even the water buffalo looked dehydrated, though they lounged in shallow, stagnant ponds.

I reached for my water bottle once again, only to be disappointed that it was empty… again. Feeling desperate and utterly worn out, I scanned the map for the nearest snack station. All my present hopes focused on finding a way to quench my thirst and revive my spirit. We certainly know what it’s like to be thirsty without a drink handy.

Living without water eventually results in death. We need it.

It’s easy to understand our need for water, yet sometimes we don’t understand how Jesus, the living water, provides far deeper satisfaction than mere H₂O. Not only does Jesus give us soul-saving satisfaction for eternity, but His kind of water creates life that bubbles over here on earth as well. Nothing stagnant about it.

READ MORE: SATISFYING OUR SPIRITUAL THIRST FOR GOD

Like a hundred-degree, steaming-hot day, our sinful world continually dehydrates our soul. Yet Jesus offers Himself as wonderful hydration for our spiritual thirst, filling us with peace, joy, hope and faith beyond what we’ve ever experienced. The refreshment of His presence is readily available to those who acknowledge their soul’s thirst, as the woman at the well did.

Have you experienced Jesus’ healing water?

Faith step: Buy yourself a new water bottle. Each time you drink, think of Jesus’ offer to quench your eternal thirst.

READ MORE: GOD’S LIFE-GIVING WATERS