A fork in the road
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.
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.‘But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
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.’The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?‘I the Lord search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.’Jeremiah 17:5–10 (NIVUK)
Introduction: Two Ways to Live
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
How many choices do you think you’ve made today? Some studies estimate that the average person makes around 35,000 decisions every day—from small, automatic choices like what to eat for breakfast to bigger ones like how to spend our time or money. Some decisions seem trivial, but others shape the course of our lives.
Our reading from Jeremiah presents us with the most important choice of all: Where do we place our trust? Do we rely on ourselves—our strength, our wisdom, our plans? Or do we trust in the Lord, the only sure foundation?
Jeremiah lays out only two paths before us:
Cursed Confidence (vv. 5-6) – Trusting in human strength leads to ruin.
Blessed Dependence (vv. 7-8) – Trusting in God brings life.
Deceptive Hearts, Divine Truth (vv. 9-10) – God alone knows and transforms the heart.
This is more than just an ancient choice—it’s the same choice we face today. Our world teaches self-reliance, yet Scripture calls us to trust in God. So, which path will we take? Let’s listen to the words of the prophet and see where true life is found.
1. Cursed Confidence (vv. 5-6)
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD.” (Jer. 17:5)
The Appeal of Self-Reliance
Confidence in our own abilities is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it’s often essential. Hard work, persistence, and resilience are valued in every area of life—whether in business, sport, or personal growth. We admire people who overcome obstacles through sheer determination. We encourage our children to believe in themselves, our employees to take initiative, and our communities to stand on their own feet. Even in the church, we value those who step up, take responsibility, and serve faithfully, as of course we should!
In many ways, trusting in our strength seems not just good, but necessary. After all, aren’t we meant to work hard, make wise decisions, and be responsible?
The Problem with Self-Reliance
But Jeremiah warns that there is a dangerous line we cross when our confidence shifts from being a gift of God to becoming our god. When we trust in ourselves instead of the Lord, our strength becomes our curse.
Our world is full of examples:
Economic security: We work hard, invest wisely, and save diligently, but markets crash, jobs disappear, and wealth cannot protect us from every trial.
Political solutions: We put our hope in leaders and policies, hoping that they will fix the problems we see around us, yet history shows us how fragile human power is.
Personal resilience: We tell ourselves, “I can handle this,” but what happens when our strength runs out? When sickness comes, relationships break down, or life doesn’t go as planned?
Jeremiah paints a stark image: the one who trusts in human strength is like a bush in the wasteland—parched, isolated, and unable to thrive. No matter how strong we think we are, we cannot sustain ourselves apart from God.
Israel had learned this the hard way. Again and again, they trusted in alliances with foreign nations instead of trusting in the Lord. They sought security in kings and armies rather than in God’s promises. And every time, their strength failed them. This is why Psalm 146:3 warns, “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.”
Luther on Idolatry
Martin Luther, in the Large Catechism, teaches that whatever we trust in above God is our true god.
If we look to money, status, or self-sufficiency for security, we are practicing idolatry. The first commandment calls us to fear, love, and trust in God above all things—not just in times of crisis, but daily.
Ultimately, we cannot save ourselves, and baptism is the clearest statement we have of that admission. We do not bring our strength, our achievements, or our plans to the font—only our sin and need for grace. Baptism reminds us that we are not self-made but God-made, not self-sufficient but God-dependent.
The Illusion of Control
Farmers of all people know this. You can plow the fields, plant the seeds, and do everything in your power, but if the rain doesn’t come, your work will all go to waste. I think this is why it’s often said around the place that farmers make the best Christians—they have to completely depend on God’s provision just about every day. We can prepare, plan, and strive, but ultimately, we are at the mercy of forces beyond our control.
Confidence in our abilities is a gift until it replaces confidence in God. Trusting in ourselves alone will lead to emptiness, but trusting in the Lord brings life.
2. Blessed Dependence (vv. 7-8)
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.” (Jer. 17:7-8)
The Freedom of Trusting in Something Greater
Dependence is often seen as weakness. From a young age, we are taught to be independent—to stand on our own two feet, make our own way, and take charge of our future. Young people tend to do everything they can to get mum and dad out for drives to rack up the learner’s hours and gain one of the greatest freedoms a teenager could wish for—P-plates.
Striving for independence is not entirely wrong. Maturity involves taking responsibility, and we have a lot of respect for people who overcome hardship with perseverance.
But Jeremiah flips all this on its head. True strength does not come from self-reliance, but from being deeply dependent on God. Just as a tree flourishes because of the water that sustains it, so too does the person whose trust is in the Lord.
Jeremiah gives us two images:
The cursed person is like a barren bush in the wilderness—dry, fragile, struggling to survive.
The blessed person is like a tree planted by water—stable, fruitful, and flourishing even in drought.
This is not just a poetic contrast; it’s a picture of reality. When trials come, when life is hard, where do we turn? Do we dig into our own strength, like a shrub in the desert gasping for survival? Or do we rest in the deep, sustaining waters of God’s faithfulness?
Jeremiah’s words echo Psalm 1:3:
“That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.”
Jesus expands on this in John 15:5:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
A tree doesn’t need to strain to produce fruit—it simply draws from the source. In the same way, the Christian life is not about striving in our own strength but about abiding in Christ, receiving His grace, and bearing fruit naturally through Him.
Luther emphasised that we are justified by faith alone (Augsburg Confession, Article IV). To trust in the Lord is to acknowledge that our salvation is not something we achieve, but something we receive. It’s not something we get, but it’s something we’re given. Just as a tree does not plant itself, we do not bring ourselves into God’s kingdom—He plants us, sustains us, and makes us fruitful.
The Living Water of Christ
So, if we’re planted so close to this water source, where is it?
In Holy Baptism, where God plants us in His grace and gives us the gift of new life.
In Holy Communion, where we receive Christ Himself—the true nourishment that strengthens and sustains us through all seasons.
Jesus promises in John 4:14:
“Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Think of the trees that surround the Blue Lake, or in the plantations around the region. Even in dry seasons, they remain green because their roots tap into the deep underground water. Compare that to a lone tree somewhere out on the Nullarbor or Coober Pedy, struggling to survive on shallow rainwater. The difference is not in the tree, but in the source it draws from.
True strength comes not from independence but from dependence on God. When we trust in Him, we are planted in something far greater than ourselves—something that will sustain us through every drought and storm.
3. Deceptive Hearts, Divine Truth (vv. 9-10)
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind.” (Jer. 17:9-10)
A Heart We Cannot Trust
We often hear phrases like “Follow your heart,” or “Trust your instincts.” It’s a common belief in our culture—our emotions, instincts, and inner desires are seen as the best guide for life. If something feels right, it must be right.
But Jeremiah delivers a blunt and unsettling truth: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” In other words, our hearts—our desires, thoughts, and motivations—are not always trustworthy. They lead us astray more than we might be aware of.
We see it everywhere:
Moral confusion – Society constantly shifts its definition of right and wrong, often based on emotions and personal preferences rather than enduring truth. Most of you have lived longer than I have, so you would’ve seen these things come and go.
Self-justification – We excuse our own sins while condemning others, convincing ourselves that we are good enough.
Broken relationships – Most conflicts come from hearts that deceive—pride, selfishness, and false assumptions.
Jeremiah forces us to confront a humbling reality: the problem is not just the world out there, but the heart in here.
Jesus confirms this diagnosis in Mark 7:21-23:
“For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
Sin is not just an external problem—it comes from within. And if the disease is in the heart, the cure cannot come from ourselves.
A God Who Searches and Transforms
Jeremiah does not leave us in despair. The Lord says, “I search the heart and examine the mind.” He alone sees us as we truly are—not just our actions, but our deepest motives. This could be terrifying, but for those who trust in Him, it is good news. Why? Because the God who knows our hearts is also the God who transforms them.
This is what Ezekiel 36:26 promises:
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
This is not just self-improvement. It is a complete renewal by God’s grace. Our hearts deceive us, but God knows and transforms them. Instead of trusting in ourselves, we trust in the One who sees us fully and redeems us completely.
Conclusion
Every day, we make thousands of choices. Some seem small, some are life-changing. But beneath them all is one fundamental choice: Will we trust in ourselves, or will we trust in the Lord?
Cursed Confidence – When we rely on our own strength, we find ourselves like a barren bush, struggling to survive. No matter how capable we think we are, we will always come to the end of ourselves.
Blessed Dependence – When we trust in the Lord, we are like a tree planted by the water— rooted, nourished, and able to endure the droughts of life. True strength comes not from independence, but from dependence on God.
Deceptive Hearts, Divine Truth – Our hearts, left to themselves, lead us astray. But God does not leave us to wander. He searches us, knows us, and by His grace, He gives us a new heart.
This is not just a challenge—it is a promise. God does not leave us to save ourselves. He has already done the work. In Baptism, He has planted us in His grace. In His Word, He continues to shape and renew us. In Holy Communion, He feeds and strengthens us with Christ Himself.
So, when the choices of life come—big or small—rest in the One who never fails.
Let’s pray:
Heavenly Father, You alone are our strength and our refuge. Plant us firmly in Your grace, nourish us with Your Word, and guide our hearts by Your Spirit. We thank You that You search us, know us, and transform us through Jesus Christ, our Lord. In His name we pray. Amen.
May the peace that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. Amen.
