Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. Jeremiah 17:7

The record of Jeremiah’s prophetic statements makes up the longest book in the Bible. The ancient Near East – from Egypt to Mesopotamia – was in a constant state of change, turmoil, and war during Jeremiah’s life. And that included life in Judah where Jeremiah saw five kings come and go during his ministry.

In many ways, Jeremiah was witness to a level of threat and change very much like what we witness today. Modern nations are threatening, and sometimes attacking, one another. People in many nations and societies live in fear of political and economic instability. And the masses are looking for someone to trust. 

That’s why Jeremiah wrote, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.” That didn’t mean that war and turmoil would stop the moment people started trusting. Jerusalem was conquered and people – even godly people like Daniel – were carried into captivity in Babylon. But trusting in the Lord drove out fear of the future.

Trusting in the Lord has the same effect today for those who hope in Him. Don’t let the world’s instability cause you to lose hope. Keep hope alive through faith in God.

Psalm 146:3-5 says:
Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.

William Gouge once wrote:  Where there is no hope, there is no faith.