At the surface, it seems as if Jeremiah is saying to trust in God and not to trust in people. Yet the scriptures and our experiences tell us that God often works powerfully through people. It seems to me that the question is whether the people we trust turn our hearts towards or away from God. If the people you trust cause you to be more judgmental, cynical, anxious, or fearful, then you may find yourself feeling like a shrub in the desert, living in the parched places of the wilderness. Trusting God and trusting the people through whom God is working feels different altogether. Instead, it feels like being planted by a cool stream – refreshing, nourishing, fruitful.
This week, pay attention to the sources you trust. How do you feel when you listen to or read what they have to say? Are these people or these sources helping you to turn towards God, helping you to live a more whole-hearted life?
In prayer, ask God to give you a more trusting heart and to help you discern which people are trustworthy in helping you to grow in relationship to God and to the people around you.