There's a direct correlation between how you worship and pray.
Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NIV)
5 This is what the LORD says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 26: The Intercession of Christ
We believe that we have no access to God
except through the one and only Mediator and Intercessor:
Jesus Christ the Righteous.
We should not plead here
that we are unworthy—
for it is not a question of offering our prayers
on the basis of our own dignity
but only on the basis of the excellence and dignity
of Jesus Christ,
whose righteousness is ours
by faith.
Since the apostle for good reason
wants us to get rid of this foolish fear—
or rather, this unbelief—
he says to us that Jesus Christ
was “made like his brothers in all things,”
that he might be a high priest
who is merciful and faithful
to purify the sins of the people.
For since he suffered,
being tempted,
he is also able to help those
who are tempted.
Since it has pleased God
to give us his Son as our Intercessor,
let us not leave him for another—
or rather seek, without ever finding.
For when God gave him to us
he knew well that we were sinners.
Therefore, in following the command of Christ
we call on the heavenly Father
through Christ,
our only Mediator,
as we are taught by the Lord’s Prayer,
being assured that we shall obtain
all we ask of the Father
in his name.
Summary
A few weeks ago, we read Jesus explaining that you can recognize genuine Christians by their deeds in the same way you can recognize a good tree by its fruit. A good tree, Jesus said gives good fruit, while a bad tree bears bad fruit. But Jesus there didn't elaborate on what makes the trees different, only that there are good trees and there are bad trees.
Today in the book of Jeremiah, the LORD explains what the differences, and it's all about the roots. A bad tree, or in the case of today's example, a bush in the wasteland, is rooted in shallow, sandy, dry ground. People represented by these scrub bushes "trust in man, draw strength from mere flesh, and their hearts turn away from the LORD" (v5). Such people never enjoy true prosperity and live parched lives in miserable conditions.
But the good tree that bears good fruit is "like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream" (v8). These are people "who trust in the LORD and put their confidence in Him" (v7). These people face the heat and drought of life in a fallen world just like everyone else, but they have "no worries... and never fail to bear fruit" (v8).
Dig Deeper
The LORD's words here in Jeremiah 17 make sense even when read out of the context they originally came in, but understanding that context helps you better understand what it means to be truly rooted in the LORD so that your life bears good fruit. In this section of Jeremiah, the LORD is calling His people out for their worship and prayers to idols and false gods.
What this means is that the quality of your worship and prayers bear a direct correlation to how well you're rooted, and ultimately, how fruitful your life is. Shallow worship and sparse prayers result in a miserable scrub brush in the barren waste lands, while deep worship and continual prayers are like a tree whose roots tap into an abundant stream.
Our Confession here wants you to understand that your worship and prayer are not isolated entities. Vapid worship produces people who ultimately put their trust in themselves, while Christ centered corporate worship will spur a person to pray "on the basis of Christ's excellence and dignity."
So if you want good, solid roots that enable you to bear good fruit, be sure you're participating in solid, biblical worship each Lord's Day which causes you to pray - both consciously and unconsciously - throughout the week in a way that fully trusts in Jesus Christ, whose righteousness is yours by faith.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who blesses those who remain rooted in Him;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will keep your trust and confidence in the LORD;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 1 Corinthians 15
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