Tom Barnard

“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.

Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.

Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit.”

(Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT)

Helen Spurrell (1819-1891) was the wife of a pastor and an accomplished musician and artist. She was a graduate of Oxford University. One of her achievements was teaching herself to read and understand the Hebrew language—after the age of 50! But even more notable was that she became one of only a handful of women translators of the Hebrew Old Testament into English. Her translation of the Old Testament was published in 1885, at the age of 66! Here is her translation of Jeremiah 17:8:

“…for he shall be like a tree…which stretcheth forth its roots by the water course,

so that it shall not fear when heat cometh, but its leaf shall be verdant;

which is not uneasy in the year of drought.”

I like her expression, “not uneasy in the year of drought.”  I interpret this to mean, “not uneasy in times of spiritual darkness and religious decline.” Like now. Like in an election year, when emotional heat is intense. Like when the stock markets of the world suddenly fall. What a great promise. Like the words of the song by Ruth Caye Jones:

In times like these you need a Savior

In times like these you need an anchor;

Be very sure, be very sure

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He’s the One;

This Rock is Jesus, the only One!

Be very sure, be very sure

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

Heavenly Father, you must be concerned about the moral decline of our nation. You must be watching to see how America responds to a crisis like we have seen in recent days. You must be observing how desperate our prayers have been. You must already be designing an answer.  It is so easy to be anxious in these times. Teach me again how important it is for me to cry out to You for help. I do need a Savior. I do need an anchor. And I do know that Anchor is Jesus. Amen.

Thank you for reading this week’s “Friday Evening”—always containing words of devotion and commitment. If you would like to receive these devotionals on a regular basis, send your request—along with your name and email address—to Dr. Tom Barnard, at barnard22@cox.net.