A shrub or a tree? Which will we be?

Yesterday was a difficult day.  Our checking account was in the negative, and for the second time in a row, we didn't have enough money in the practice account to pay our salary.  Even worse, is the fact that we have maxed out our business credit line at the bank.  Paul continues to see new patients, and every week is busier.  But money drizzles in from the insurance companies and we need it to pour!  I found myself scared yesterday, praying that God would somehow provide during all this.  As is typical of God, he reached down this morning and gave me a glimmer of hope.  He asked me, "Do you want to be a shrub or a tree?"

My devotion this morning was about trusting in God and finding triumph through trust. 

"Those who know Your name trust in You because You have not abandoned those who seek You, Yahweh."  Psalm 9:10

Trusting God isn't a guarantee that life will go just as we want.  Trust isn't a magic wand we can wave to make everything okay.  Boy, don't I wish it was though! Trusting God means knowing He has a plan for our lives, and that plan is perfect.  It is hard to trust  in the middle of uncertain circumstances.   Jeremiah 17:5-8,  compares a man who trusts in himself to a shrub living in the desert.  Umm...a shrub can't live in the desert.  It will thirst, whither and die. Jeremiah goes on to compare a man who trusts in God to a tree planted by a river.  It runs its roots into the water, its leaves are always green and it bears fruit.   It never fears during heat or drought.  

I want to be a tree!  I want to run my roots into Jesus, the Living Water.  I want to bear fruit even in the most difficult of times.  Because if the world can't see me bear fruit when things are rough than they probably won't see much difference in me.  But in order to be that tree, I have to dive into God's Word, which is my sustenance.  I have to pray that God will help me trust Him even when I may not be able to see a solution to my current problem.

Life the past couple of weeks has been busy and we are trying to adjust to our summer schedule.  In the midst of the business I haven't been reading my Bible or doing much praying.  When I think about it, I've felt like a shrub in the wilderness; thirsty and withering ever so slowly.  God gave me water for today's journey.  Now it is up to me each day to make a choice:  shrub or tree?  Which one will I be?

Thanks for reading.  Until next time~ hang in there and hold on to Jesus!

Jennifer