Jeremiah 17:14 Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.

From verse five on, this passage is one powerful verse after another. I have long been struck by the line in verse six that says that a person who trusts in man “will not see prosperity when it comes.” The implications of that are immense. Verses seven and eight echo Psalm 1, an enormously comforting and encouraging Psalm. Verse nine is an extremely pointed comment on the human condition, and verse 10 reminds us that there’s no escaping our accountability before God. Verse 11 speaks of motivation in financial dealings, and then verses 12 and 13 shift the focus to speak to God, rather than being what God is speaking to mankind, and this verse is a continuation of that. All of the previous content has made Jeremiah very aware of his own foolishness and unreliability, so here he declares his trust and dependence on God. He’s saying, in effect, “If God does it, it’s done, period.” We all need that kind of conviction. The earlier verses should put us in the same frame of mind as Jeremiah, because we too are prone to trust in man and depend on flesh, either our own or that of someone else. We too should realize that we can’t trust our own heart, and so cry out to God. The good news is that God is incredibly gracious, and if our choice is to trust in and obey Him, verses seven and eight indeed apply to us, however imperfect our obedience might be.

I find my heart rising up in a huge AMEN at this. The longer I live, the more unreliable I recognize myself to be, when I am operating in my flesh. I realize that my heart is indeed deceitful, and is not to be trusted. However, I have also tasted more and more of the Lord, and know that He is totally reliable. For that reason, even though I can see that “the world is going to hell in a hand basket,” I have no worries for myself personally. The whole COVID business has left me untouched emotionally, because objectively I have no co-morbidities, and I decline to be ruled by fear. Besides, leaving this earth is being with my Lord! (2 Corinthians 5:8) However, I must not be complacent or take things for granted, but walk always in humble gratitude, knowing that not only is this verse true, the reverse is true as well: if God doesn’t heal me I won’t be healed, and if He doesn’t save me I am totally lost. Gratitude toward my Creator and Savior should totally control me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me walk in Your truth more and more consistently, not trusting in or depending on my flesh but clinging to Christ alone, as the song says. May I be Your agent to do Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!