DEPENDING ON GOD | Northstar Church

“They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” – Jeremiah 17:8.

The prophet Jeremiah gives us a picture of a tree planted next to an ever-flowing stream of water. Its root system gradually digs deep into the moist soil. It never lacks liquid nourishment for the green leaves high above the ground. Jeremiah is telling us that when we depend on the Lord, we are like one who stays planted beside His living water. Daily doses of Jesus grow us in grace. Reliance on Jesus is the door to faithful and fruitful living. It means we are transformed by what the Lord says and thinks; therefore we can depend on Him for wisdom and insight.

We need to be dependent on God. But here is the catch: you and I don’t always like depending on God. So, instead of learning to rely on God, we spend our whole lives trying to supplement our dependence upon Him. We try to put enough money in the bank so we don’t have to depend on Him for our daily bread. We try to control our decisions, so we have some control over how much we need to depend on God. Jesus is not an add-on to a full and balanced life—He is our life. We trivialize our Savior when we use Him as a last resort only after we have exhausted ourselves and our resources. In contrast, when our confidence is in Christ, our default is to depend on Him.

Dependence starts by acknowledging Almighty God as the owner of everything and the controller of every circumstance. Nothing is impossible with God, and everything is within His reach. Your part is to trust and obey, and His part is to do the rest. Dependency depends on Him working in and through you.

Hudson Taylor says, “I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize this; for He, I know, is able to carry out His will, and His will is mine. It makes no matter where he places me, or how. That is rather for Him to consider than for me; for in the easiest position He must give me His grace, and in the most difficult His grace is sufficient. It little matters to my servant whether I send him to buy a few cash worth of things, or the most expensive articles. In either case, he looks to me for the money and brings me his purchases. So, if God should place me in serious perplexity, must He not give me much guidance; in positions of great difficulty, much grace; in circumstances of great pressure and trial, much strength? No fear that His resources will prove unequal to the emergency! And His resources are mine, for He is mine, and is with me and dwells in me.”

Discussion Questions:

Why would you want to depend on God’s unfailing faithfulness rather than your well-intentioned efforts?
What changes could you make so you will be dependent on God in all things?