Trust in the Lord

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, February 16th, 2025:
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Jeremiah
17.5-8 

Thus says the Lord:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in mere mortals
and makes mere flesh their strength,
whose heart turns away from the Lord.
That person shall be like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see when relief comes,
but shall live in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.

“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
That person shall be like a tree planted by water,
sending out its roots by the stream.
It shall not fear when heat comes,
and its leaves shall stay green;
in the year of drought it is not anxious,
and it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

I can think of numerous times when I have put my trust in mere mortals. I have put my trust in a new boyfriend, that he would fill the void in my heart. I have put my trust in a friend, that heartfelt secrets shared wouldn’t go beyond the two of us. I have put trust in myself that if I just worked hard enough, or ran fast enough, that I would feel worthy somehow. But as you can imagine, these things all left me feeling alone in the parched places of the wilderness.

I am so grateful that I’m learning to put my trust in the Lord. At the time of writing this reflection, it is the day after I had a job interview—my first in almost 13 years. It came about after I bumped into an old colleague of mine at Christmas Eve Mass. She reached out to me a couple of weeks later and asked if I would be interested in a position at her company. I didn’t hear anything for over a week, and at the last Gathering at the Well, I asked for prayers related to my job situation. And God answered. A recruiter reached out to me a few days later.

I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare and in hindsight, I don’t think I prepared as well as I could have. Although I was comforted by the prayers of dear friends who messaged me first thing in the morning, and then again one minute before the interview was to start,
I was still incredibly nervous. I gripped a cross in my hand and offered up my anxiety to Jesus. After a grueling hour of questions, it was over. I let out a huge sigh of relief. What surprised me most was how I felt afterwards. Instead of overanalyzing everything I said in a vicious shame spiral, I took an honest inventory. I knew I had answered some questions well, and others not so well. I’m not expecting an offer. I can’t say I fully understand why God would put this particular opportunity in my path, but I trust it was meant to happen. 

As my roots grow deeper towards the streams of living water, I know God has a plan for my life. I know He hears my prayers and answers them in ways that are best for me. Seeing the vast amount of responsibility in the role I interviewed for, made me see my current role in a new light, with new appreciation. Could this be God’s intention? I’m learning to be ok with not having these answers, because I know the Lord will reveal them when the time is right. I do know that in these challenging times—“when heat comes”—I shall not fear. I did the best I could, and the rest is up to Him. 

Lord Jesus, help me to remain planted by Your side and to grow my trust in You every day. Prune my anxieties and nourish me with Your living water so that I can bear fruit in Your most Holy Name. Amen.




Lisa Matheson

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