Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes his flesh his arm, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 

 

Jeremiah 17:5-6

 

Jeremiah warns that when we put our trust in human beings or look to human beings for our meaning and purpose, we are cursed. This may sound harsh but it simply means that it will not work out for us if we seek to understand our purpose from other human beings.

 

Jeremiah then gives a word picture of what it is like to trust in human beings for our purpose. We are like a tree in a desert and salt land that has no access to water or nutrients in the soil. It withers and dries up. We will also dry up and wither when we look to human beings for our meaning and purpose. 

 

Pray today for the grace to look to God and his purposes for your meaning and significance.