Jeremiah 17 + A Different Paradigm for Living // A Kingdom of Trees - Jeremiah Lepasana

• In a culture obsessed with moving forward, Jeremiah 17:5–8 invites us to a different kind of flourishing—not about speed, success, or performance, but about being rooted, nourished, and fruitful right where we are.
  
  
• Many of us feel stuck, like we’re falling behind, even as everyone else seems to move forward. But Scripture says: you can be blessed—happy—even when life feels slow or dry.
  
  
• The passage paints a vivid contrast between shrubs and trees:
   Shrubs are scorched, isolated, rootless.
   Trees are anchored, interconnected, and fruitful—even in drought.
  
  
• This "tree life" isn’t earned by perfection—it grows through deep trust in God. Your happiness doesn’t depend on circumstances improving—it depends on your rootedness in the source of living water.

From this passage we see that blessing (true happiness) comes through: 1) surrendering the pressure to constantly “move forward,” 2) rooting our identity and hope in God alone, and 3) learning to trust Him deeply, especially in heat and drought.

Pray

(Pray a whole-life invitation)
 Father, I confess that I often chase forward progress instead of rooted presence. But you say blessing comes when I trust you. Make me a tree—anchored in your Spirit, unshaken by the heat, fruitful even in drought. Teach me to draw my hope, identity, and joy from you alone. Amen.