Slices
Prepare
Visualise a stream in the summer countryside, with a tree by its side, maybe a weeping willow bending down to touch the surface of the cool water.
Bible passage
‘Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool,
inscribed with a flint point,
on the tablets of their hearts
and on the horns of their altars.
2 Even their children remember
their altars and Asherah poles
beside the spreading trees
and on the high hills.
3 My mountain in the land
and your wealth and all your treasures
I will give away as plunder,
together with your high places,
because of sin throughout your country.
4 Through your own fault you will lose
the inheritance I gave you.
I will enslave you to your enemies
in a land you do not know,
for you have kindled my anger,
and it will burn for ever.’
5 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.
6 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,
in a salt land where no one lives.
7 ‘But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
8 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.’
9 The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
10 ‘I the Lord search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.’
11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay
are those who gain riches by unjust means.
When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them,
and in the end they will prove to be fools.
12 A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning,
is the place of our sanctuary.
13 Lord, you are the hope of Israel;
all who forsake you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust
because they have forsaken the Lord,
the spring of living water.
14 Heal me, Lord, and I shall be healed;
save me and I shall be saved,
for you are the one I praise.
15 They keep saying to me,
‘Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it now be fulfilled!’
16 I have not run away from being your shepherd;
you know I have not desired the day of despair.
What passes my lips is open before you.
17 Do not be a terror to me;
you are my refuge in the day of disaster.
18 Let my persecutors be put to shame,
but keep me from shame;
let them be terrified,
but keep me from terror.
Bring on them the day of disaster;
destroy them with double destruction.
Explore
The heart of the matter is the heart. In our passage today the heart is a key theme. Let’s look at the four times it’s mentioned.
First, our sin is in our hearts (v 1). Sin isn’t external to us, nor is it simply mistakes we make. The heart in the Old Testament is the centre of the will, so sin is a deep disposition of the core of our being.
Secondly, sin means doing things our way in our strength rather than God’s (v 5) and this is a state of curse before God.
Thirdly, and as mentioned last time, the heart is deceitful (v 9) and even beyond cure. We need more than a self‑help book.
Lastly, we can’t hide what’s in our hearts from God (v 10).
However, we needn’t despair because the opposite of a prideful heart is one that trusts in the Lord (v 7). Those who trust are like the tree you imagined at the beginning. No longer in a state of curse (pictured as a desert, v 6), open and humble before the Lord who knows all things and who is the spring of living water (v 13b and John 4:14).
Respond
Thank God that we don’t have to pretend with him, that we don’t need to strive, that we can trust and he will give us a stream of living water that wells up into eternal life.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 2 Samuel 3–5; 1 Corinthians 3
Pray for Scripture Union
Get Ready to Go has been written to help young children who are about to start primary school. Pray that children will find practical help as churches and other groups hand out copies and talk about the difference Jesus can make to the challenges and adventures of life.
Because a strong start begins with smart preparation
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That’s why It’s Your Move exists – to help children step into this new chapter with faith, courage and confidence.
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Practical guidance you can trust.
Inside this 80-page guide, children will find:
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This isn’t just a book – it’s reassurance in their backpack.
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Secondary school is coming whether children feel ready or not. Let’s make sure they step forward grounded in faith, guided by hope and prepared with practical wisdom.
Get your copy here.
