Cursed v Blessed

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is in the Lord.” (Jeremiah 17:7)

In the larger context of Jeremiah 17:7, Jeremiah contrasted a man who is cursed with a man who is blessed.

The man who is cursed is one who trusts in mankind, in human strength. Humanism is his belief system. He turns his heart away from God. The man who is blessed, or happy, is the man whose trust and confidence is in the Lord.

One who trusts in all things human, says the Lord through Jeremiah, is like a juniper tree in arid wastelands. The juniper just barely survives and is non-productive. It generally appears to be dead. It is usually solitary because nothing else is able to survive there. Someone like this never really knows when good comes his or her way, because their spiritual condition makes them unable to perceive it.
One who trusts in the Lord, on the other hand, is like a tree planted by water. It puts out its roots toward the water and smiles at the heat. It stays green and continually produces fruit, unworried by drought. Those who trust in the Lord draw life from Him and are sustained by His grace.
Let those who trust in the Lord say so.

Father, You sustain us by the power of Your word, and for that we thank You. Amen.