“DESPERATELY SICK!”

Jeremiah 17:7-10                                   (ESV)

“7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. 

8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and IS NOT ANXIOUS IN THE YEAR OF DROUGHT, for IT DOES NOT CEASE TO BEAR FRUIT." 

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and “DESPERATELY SICK”; who can understand it? 

10 "I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."

Would you prefer being caught in a “white” lie or caught sexuality abusing an infant?  We typically classify sins we have a chance of being guilty of as “lesser” sins, while Scripture says in Romans 14:23 that anything that proceeds NOT from FAITH is sin!  And those who commit more heinous acts we want to scrutinize to the extreme. Society usually says that there are sins (crimes) that are worse than others, but GOD SEES anything where we aren’t fully trusting in HIM as us trusting in something else, and we are placing it above HIM!  

In Jeremiah 17:8, Scripture records “He (the man who TRUSTS in the LORD) is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and IS NOT ANXIOUS IN THE YEAR OF DROUGHT, for IT DOES NOT CEASE TO BEAR FRUIT."  Most of us have people we know who TRUSTS in the LORD that we run to whenever we need an answer for an issue in our lives.  It’s not because they are “good people”, it is because they are close to GOD and hopefully are “rightly connected” to HIM!

Jeremiah 17:9 is the VERY next verse and it says “The heart is deceitful above all things, and “DESPERATELY SICK”; who can understand it?”  Just because we are TRUSTING IN THE LORD doesn’t mean that we aren’t “DESPERATELY SICK”!  What TRUSTING IN THE LORD does accomplish is that we know we are “DESPERATELY SICK”, in need of a Spiritual Healer, and WHO else is more qualified than our CREATOR?  

1 Timothy 1:15 was written by the Apostle Paul, who many believe was one of the strongest Believers ever.  He wrote “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that CHRIST JESUS came into the world to save sinners, OF WHOM I AM THE FOREMOST.”  Paul realized that the closer he got to JESUS, the filthier he really was!! He was “DESPERATELY SICK”!!  The closer I get to the LORD, I too realize that I am “DESPERATELY SICK”!  Just let me be used by YOU, oh FATHER, a tiny bit before YOU call me home.