January 17th, 2023
One of the great themes in the Word of God is the importance of being firmly established in God and in His Word and there is no better time to talk about that than during prayer and fasting.
One of the comparisons God uses for this is the idea that we are like plants, rooted in Him. Jeremiah 17:7-8 says,
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
You may not have ever thought of yourself as a plant, but it’s such an interesting metaphor used throughout in the Bible. When is the last time you checked on your roots?
Roots, in the natural, are essentially for three things:
1. Absorbing nutrients and transporting them to the plant
2. Storing nutrients
3. Stabilizing and supporting the plant
Every one of these functions relate to us as believers, rooted in God! There are two main types of roots: feeders and anchors. Feeder roots are the first roots a plant grows, and they search the soil and absorb nutrients for the plant. They typically spread out, not down, in their search for food and water. These are absolutely necessary for a plant’s survival, but are not resilient, dying often and being replaced, much like human skin cells. In a drought or a storm, these roots do very little for a plant because they’re not deep in the soil. Anchor roots, on the other hand, take longer to grow than the feeder roots. They are stronger and more resilient, living for years. They go deep into the soil and continue to grow thicker and stronger the older a plant gets. It’s these anchor roots that allow trees to grow tall and stable. In the event of a drought, it’s the anchor roots that allow established trees to survive, because they go deep into the soil seeking nutrients and water reserves. While the feeder roots near the surface die during stress, the anchor roots dig deeper in search of life. So, how does this relate to us?
Well, one of Jesus’ most famous parables was of the farmer sowing seed. In the story, a man sowed on four types of soil, one of which relates to what we’re talking about today. Matthew 13:6 says of seed sown on rocky ground,
“When the sun rose, they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.”
Jesus explained what He meant by this in Matthew 13:20-21:
“As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.”
See, so many people receive the Word of God eagerly. They like the idea of God’s love and the feeling that His presence brings, but they don’t want to take the time to allow their roots to grow deep in Him. They don’t allow Him to plant and establish them in His Word, but it takes time to grow anchor roots! Colossians 2:6-7 says,
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."
Only being firmly established in God will make us unshakeable in any storm! It’s those deep roots, that only come through time in God’s presence and His word, that make us stable. When you give your life to Jesus, He transplants you from rotting soil to the kingdom of His Son and
it’s there you have to put down roots, grow, and thrive! Paul prayed for the Ephesian church like this:
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:14-19
I encourage you to read that again slowly. I would even read it out loud and pray it for yourself! The purpose of God is that you would be so rooted and grounded in His love, by faith, that nothing would shake you. His desire is that you would have the strength to understand the love of Christ that “surpasses knowledge.” Only when you are rooted and grounded in Him—in His Word and His love—can you be filled with the fullness of God. When you are, it doesn’t matter if there’s drought like Jeremiah talked about or scorching sun like Jesus talked about. It doesn’t matter if the wind blows, or storms come. When you are anchored in the truth of His Word and the power of His love, you will be like that tree planted by a stream of water. Even when there is drought around you, your leaves will be as green as they are in the spring! As a believer, you are rooted in the One who can never run dry. You are rooted in the One whose love is beyond comprehension. You are rooted in the God of the universe, the One that cannot be changed or shaken. Be strengthened today by the truth of His Word, as you allow Him to establish your roots deeper than they’ve ever been before. That is the purpose of God for you!
One of the comparisons God uses for this is the idea that we are like plants, rooted in Him. Jeremiah 17:7-8 says,
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
You may not have ever thought of yourself as a plant, but it’s such an interesting metaphor used throughout in the Bible. When is the last time you checked on your roots?
Roots, in the natural, are essentially for three things:
1. Absorbing nutrients and transporting them to the plant
2. Storing nutrients
3. Stabilizing and supporting the plant
Every one of these functions relate to us as believers, rooted in God! There are two main types of roots: feeders and anchors. Feeder roots are the first roots a plant grows, and they search the soil and absorb nutrients for the plant. They typically spread out, not down, in their search for food and water. These are absolutely necessary for a plant’s survival, but are not resilient, dying often and being replaced, much like human skin cells. In a drought or a storm, these roots do very little for a plant because they’re not deep in the soil. Anchor roots, on the other hand, take longer to grow than the feeder roots. They are stronger and more resilient, living for years. They go deep into the soil and continue to grow thicker and stronger the older a plant gets. It’s these anchor roots that allow trees to grow tall and stable. In the event of a drought, it’s the anchor roots that allow established trees to survive, because they go deep into the soil seeking nutrients and water reserves. While the feeder roots near the surface die during stress, the anchor roots dig deeper in search of life. So, how does this relate to us?
Well, one of Jesus’ most famous parables was of the farmer sowing seed. In the story, a man sowed on four types of soil, one of which relates to what we’re talking about today. Matthew 13:6 says of seed sown on rocky ground,
“When the sun rose, they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.”
Jesus explained what He meant by this in Matthew 13:20-21:
“As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.”
See, so many people receive the Word of God eagerly. They like the idea of God’s love and the feeling that His presence brings, but they don’t want to take the time to allow their roots to grow deep in Him. They don’t allow Him to plant and establish them in His Word, but it takes time to grow anchor roots! Colossians 2:6-7 says,
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."
Only being firmly established in God will make us unshakeable in any storm! It’s those deep roots, that only come through time in God’s presence and His word, that make us stable. When you give your life to Jesus, He transplants you from rotting soil to the kingdom of His Son and
it’s there you have to put down roots, grow, and thrive! Paul prayed for the Ephesian church like this:
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:14-19
I encourage you to read that again slowly. I would even read it out loud and pray it for yourself! The purpose of God is that you would be so rooted and grounded in His love, by faith, that nothing would shake you. His desire is that you would have the strength to understand the love of Christ that “surpasses knowledge.” Only when you are rooted and grounded in Him—in His Word and His love—can you be filled with the fullness of God. When you are, it doesn’t matter if there’s drought like Jeremiah talked about or scorching sun like Jesus talked about. It doesn’t matter if the wind blows, or storms come. When you are anchored in the truth of His Word and the power of His love, you will be like that tree planted by a stream of water. Even when there is drought around you, your leaves will be as green as they are in the spring! As a believer, you are rooted in the One who can never run dry. You are rooted in the One whose love is beyond comprehension. You are rooted in the God of the universe, the One that cannot be changed or shaken. Be strengthened today by the truth of His Word, as you allow Him to establish your roots deeper than they’ve ever been before. That is the purpose of God for you!
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