Let God Do It

“Me do it! Me do it!!” This became a constant refrain in our house when all our children reached the age of two. They were the center of their world, and I existed only to serve them. They relied only on their limited scope and understanding of the world around them. As parents, we allowed them to grow and become independent and gave them boundaries to stay within while allowing them freedom to thrive.

Similarly, the prophet Jeremiah was tasked with delivering God’s message to the people of Judah. At the beginning of the book, God tells the people they have committed two sins:

• They abandoned God’s provision and tried to do it themselves. As Jeremiah 2:13 says, “They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”
• They trusted in mankind rather than God as Jeremiah 2:5 says, “Cursed is the person who trusts in mankind.”​

Jeremiah's words clearly show the results of living outside God’s plan. The people of Judah had forgotten their covenant with God and turned their hearts toward false idols. They worshiped other gods and relied on their strength. They tried to contain the living water God offered within hearts corrupted by the desires of their flesh.

Through Jeremiah, God reminded his people to live in community with Him, to stop trying to draw strength from their limited resources, and to stop trying to build their own homes on the foundations of the world.

​The result of Judah’s broken covenant with God was captivity. Their hearts and minds had already been taken captive by the two sins God accused them of, forsaking Him and becoming the center of their world. As Jeremiah warned, the Babylonians raided the nation and took Judah captive. Even after Jeremiah warned of Judah’s captivity, God offered hope for future restoration.
Every day, we are bombarded with demands on our time. Those small and not-so-small things on our to-do lists pull us away from the Living Water meant to nourish us. Many days, I am happy if I have survived and everyone I am responsible for has been fed and occasionally even clothed before the end of the day. I won’t lie; no clothing means less laundry.

Like a two-year-old, I often resist God’s correction and insist, “Me do it.” Like the Israelites, I end up being held captive by my sin and struggling just to survive. Draw strength from the Living Water of God instead of scrolling through the world’s news feed.

God wants us to do more than just survive; His desire is for us to thrive. With our hands lifted high, allowing Him to pour into us the Living Water that brings life to our weary hearts. Colossians 1:27 tells us, "...Christ is in [us], the hope of glory.” I can never thrive on my own without Christ in me. Friend, God’s greatest desire is to be your strength. Allow His living water to flood your heart today, and let God do it.

““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, in a salt land where no one lives. 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.”
​Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NIV)

About the Author

Hi, I'm Nancy Ehlinger. I live with my husband, Roderick, in North Florida close to a beautiful beach which is my happy place. We have five children, eight grandchildren, a dog, a bird, and a bearded dragon. I am passionate about equipping women to live life on mission. Connect with me at nancyehlinger.wordpress.com.