Trust leads to blessing.

Those four words might feel like a loaded statement, and part of the reason why they might is because of how we tend to think about “blessing.” When we hear that single word, we might think exclusively in tangible terms – that to be “blessed” means to be healthy, wealthy, and free of trouble. And if we are currently living in a season in which those things are true, then yes, we should thank God for the peaceful and prosperous circumstances. At the same time, we should also recognize that such times really are a season, and seasons change.

There will be a time when we are not healthy. Or wealthy. Or free of trouble. In fact, there will be seasons when the opposite of that is true. And that’s when this definition of blessing really starts to fall apart. If we face a painful disease, does it mean we are not blessed? If we find ourselves in the midst of difficult and troubling relationships, has God’s blessing departed? If we find ourselves struggling financially despite our best efforts, does that mean our blessing is gone?

Being “blessed” cannot, then, just be about our temporary circumstances; it must extend beyond those things. It must be bigger than those things. More lasting.

If we can grasp that bigger definition of blessing, then we can start to see the truth of those four words – that trust leads to blessing. There’s a particular passage that helps us see not only the link between trust and blessing, but also grow in our understanding of what it means to be blessed in the first place. This is what the prophet Jeremiah says:

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit” (Jer. 17:7-8). 

Notice first of all the subtle difference in the idea of blessing presented here and the idea of circumstantial prosperity we often think of. In the analogy, the person trusting in the Lord is likened to a tree. And in that metaphor, it’s not that the tree doesn’t experience heat or even a year of drought; it’s that this tree is able to continue on and thrive even in the midst of challenging seasons like that. Similarly, if we are blessed, it’s not that we won’t experience the heat of trouble or the drought of a lack of resources; it’s that we are able to persevere and even thrive in joy even when those things come. So let’s expand on that passage, and find three reasons why trust leads to this truer and greater kind of blessing:

1. Because trust counters anxiety.

The text tells us that for the person who trusts, there is a comparative lack of anxiety and worry. That’s because the person trusting in the Lord is able to step back from the circumstances of the day and refocus on a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Moreover, the person of trust can recenter on the truth that God sovereignly and mysteriously bends the arc of history, in both big and small ways, to the reign of Jesus and the cause of righteousness and justice. That person is able to know that there is consequence for sin; that evil will not triumph; that there will be an accounting. And therefore, such a person can live with a general sense of peace. That is indeed a blessing.

2. Because trust brings productivity.

Not only that, but the person who trusts can be assured of productivity, and that, too, is a blessing. We were made to work. When God created Adam, the first thing He did was give the first human being a job (Gen. 2:15). It’s in our DNA to work; to produce; to live in the image of God who is busy creating. Part of a fulfilling life, then, is to actually be productive for the cause of the kingdom and the overall good of the world God has created. When we trust in the Lord, we can know that the work we do, though it might not have immediate results, is actually making a difference. We will not fail to bear fruit.

3. Because trust brings about stability.

Blessing is about peace and productivity, but it’s also about stability. This is what we see from the tree in Jeremiah 17. This is no weak-trunked sapling, but a mighty tree with deep roots that does not get pushed back and forth by the winds of the day. There is a sturdiness to the one who trusts in the Lord. Yes, that person experiences all the chaos in the environment the same as everyone else, but despite that chaos, the person of faith is able to be firm. Planted. Rooted deep so that they are a stable source of strength, even for those around them.

This is a better picture of what it means to be blessed. It’s a person who is peaceful. Who is productive. Who is stable. This is a person of faith.