Hi, and thanks for joining us for today's encouragement from the Our Daily Bread Devotional.

Our reading was written by Reggie Keller, and she titled it, In God We Put Our Trust.

The baby wasn't due for another six weeks, but the doctor had just diagnosed Whitney with

colostasis, a liver condition common in pregnancy. In a whirlwind of emotions, Whitney was taken

to the hospital where she received treatment and was told her baby would be induced in 24 hours.

In another part of the hospital, ventilators and other equipment

needed for the onslaught of COVID-19 cases were being put into place. As a result, Whitney

was sent home. She made the decision to trust God and his plans, and she delivered a healthy

baby a few days later. When Scripture takes root in us,

it transforms the way we react in trying situations. Jeremiah lived in a time when most of society

trusted in human alliances and the worship of idols was prevalent. In Jeremiah 17, the prophet contrasts the person who draws strength

from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord with the one who trusts in God.

He said, Blessed is the one whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that does not fear when

heat comes. Its leaves are always green. As believers in Jesus, we're called to live by faith

as we look to him for solutions. As he provides the strength, we can choose to fear or to trust him. God says we're blessed, fully

satisfied when we choose to place our trust in him.

Today's Our Daily Bread Devotional Scripture reading is from Jeremiah chapter 17, verses 5 through 8.

This is what the Lord says.

Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh, and whose heart turns away from the Lord.

That person will be like a bush in the wastelands.

They will not see prosperity when it comes.

They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,

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