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.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
The words of Jeremiah shout to me from a place and time far away, yet so close to home. Most mornings, just as the sun is rising, I walk the mile and ½ to Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge. I walk to the top of the hill and look towards the western horizon. The view of the Bay, the Dumbarton, the little red picnic shelter, the wooden footbridge, and I breathe deeply. All of it fills my heart with a deep gratitude and glory for God’s beauty. We are so incredibly blessed to call this amazing planet our home.
Yet, as I watch the waterfowl and shorebirds congregate, it is impossible to ignore that the same sloughs and marshes that were once plump with water are diminished. The water line is high, the water is low. These past weeks, I’ve rushed to get out before temperatures rose too high, and on my way to and from the refuge, I gaze upon deadened and browned landscape throughout my neighborhood. At this writing, a large part of our state is on fire, turning our blessed land into a cursed inferno. On some days, it feels as if the outer dryness causes an inner depletion, as if the thirsty earth mirrors a parched spirit.
And then the words of Jeremiah enter in. “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord” and I remember my spirit, when oriented towards Christ, is like a tree planted by water. Through intentional prayer, through observing the wonder of God around me, through witnessing the love and kindness of communities responding to hardship, I see the living water of God everywhere, and my own thirst pulls me towards that water source. As it says in John 7:37-38, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.”’
In this time of drought, let us pour out the Living Water of God into our world through our own acts of prayer and service. Let us gather as a church to support one another in exploring and expressing the deep wells of our faith. And let us extend a drink of water to those who are thirsty for connection, for community, and for the sure knowledge of God’s abiding love.
Lori+