What does it mean to be planted by the stream, as in Jeremiah 17 and Psalm 1?

Psalm 1: “He is like a tree planted beside streams of water that bears its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8: “7 The man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed. 8 He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn’t fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit.”

If we can say we are in Christ, and we are spirit led, then we would be as both Jeremiah and Psalm 1 portray. The nutrients and life come from the stream. God is the living water that brings our life-giving power. Yet there is an easy alternative to this.

When I have thought about the tree planted by the water, I think of all the maps and photographs of areas like an oasis or a plain where most of the land is grassland or desert, but around the water there are trees. The trees by the water find everything they need to thrive. In fact, looking at the surrounding area, those trees seem to do better. Now this is just an example. Are there trees away from lakes, rivers, and streams that thrive? Yes, there are. Those find themselves in regions with high precipitation or the trees have adapted to survive in the rugged terrains. But looking at the spiritual side there are no exceptions. The tree relies on the stream, just as we rely on the flowing water from Yahweh. But where do we get our identity? If we aren’t getting our life-giving power from God and His Word, then we are getting it from a secondary source. These sources always seem to dry up over time and the result is our spiritual life, and likely the rest of our life, fall with it.

Looking at our lives, maybe our marriage/relationship is our identity, we are so and so’s wife or husband. Our children are our identity, I’m Joey’s dad, or Kacie’s mom. Our identity is in our work; I am the CEO of Andromedus Enterprises, or I am the leading salesman at AB3 sales. When we identity with those things, we have to realize that those watering holes can and will dry up. The marriage struggles or dissolves. The son/daughter move away or something traumatic happens to them. We lose our job or maybe something happens and we no longer find satisfaction in it anymore. This is the outcome of putting our identity in the things that change.

On the contrary we don’t look at the tree in these verses and say the mighty tree because it is tall and strong. The tree doesn’t say look at me in my mighty splendor. The tree doesn’t say I don’t need this stream. The tree is mighty, and it has a beautiful splendor, but only because it is planted on the stream bank. That same tree planted on a rocky hill will not thrive or survive the drought. I believe this is what the Lord is showing us, again, when he teaches us in John 15 about the vine and the branch. We are to get our very identity from him.

To find our identity in Him and to retain that we must read his Word. That is the only source. It isn’t from self-help books, Christian literature, psychology, degrees, or any other source. Those can point us to his Word and ultimately act as a flashing light, but just because Christmas lights are hanging doesn’t make it Christmas. We have to know what he says we are, take a stance and believe God when he calls us something, and let that be our identity. When that happens, the storms of life can never shake us.

Be the trees planted on the stream and watch your life thrive as you live with dependence on him instead of your own abilities, titles, or accomplishments. And watch the life you live bear much fruit for the kingdom and those around you.