“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.”
Colossians 2:6-7 ESV
Russ steadily paddled the kayak down the lazy Raisin River, pointing now and then to points of interest along the shoreline as he paddled. As we approached a curving bend in the river, he announced, “This is what I wanted you to see.”
Precariously perched on the eroding shoreline, the exposed roots of the enormous tree stretched farther horizontally across the top of the bank than did the roots aiming downward towards the water. The goal of their reach was unclear. There was no other water source to drink from nor was there another root system to tie into at the top of the bank. It looked like a wasted effort by an increasingly desperate and thirsty tree.
My kayaking, fisherman of a husband knows how much I love trees, especially those wearing the twisted and gnarly cloak of the aged. This was one of those trees. It must have been magnificent in its prime. It was still glorious, but its glory was fading. As the erosion of the bank continued, the roots would continue to dry and wither, and the tree’s grip on solid ground would eventually fail.
Strong roots are critical to a tree’s beauty and longevity. Whether the roots run deep or if shallow roots are intertwined with roots from other trees, both can form a powerful network of nourishment and stability to support strong and growing trees. Roots are the underground power source and anchor of trees.
A strong and interconnected root system can also improve the overall health of weak soil by creating a defense against erosion and stabilizing the soil.
Conversely, when roots die and decay, the channels in the soil that were created when the roots were growing are left behind. The channels destabilize the soil and create vacuums that will be filled with water when heavy rains come – sometimes with cataclysmic results.
Landslides are a result of unstable soil. Huge trees may be felled by strong winds, ripping up roots as they fall to expose meager moorings that offer no resistance in a forceful storm.
The success of what grows above ground is dependent on the health and strength of that which grows below the surface.
Friend, it’s the same with us. The outward evidence of our identity in Christ, the outworking of our spiritual growth, the fruit of the Spirit demonstrated in our behavior, and our ability to love as Jesus loved, are all dependent on the strength of our spiritual roots.
If you want to withstand the storms of life – if you want to remain standing when life’s hurricane-force winds blow, you are going to need healthy, deeply planted, and strongly interconnected roots.
As a Christ-follower, how do you get “rooted”? Here are two passages, one written by a Psalmist, the other written by one of God’s prophets, both provide a good starting place.
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.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8
- Trust the Lord. Believe that what He says He will do.
- Stay close to your source of nourishment and power.
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on His law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither–whatever they do prospers.
Psalm 1:1-3 NIV
- Be cautious about the company you keep. It’s one thing to be a good, kind, loving, and faithful witness and friend to all that you meet but that does not mean that you allow your association to be so close that you become the “influenced” instead of the “influencer.”
- Immerse yourself in God’s Truth (the Bible), let it fill your thoughts, mind, and heart, and allow it to guide you.
- Plant yourself at the feet of your Savior where you can flourish in your walk with Him. He is our Source of Living Water that will never run dry. (John 4:13)
And finally, pray. Pray early, pray late, pray often – pray without ceasing. Develop a lifestyle of ongoing communication with your Heavenly Father.
In Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, he gives us a pattern for “rooted prayer.”
- Approach God humbly in mind, heart, spirit, and posture.
- Acknowledge that it is only by His amazing grace that you have been redeemed, that He is your Father, and that His Holy Spirit now lives in you.
- Appeal to God for wisdom and understanding, and that He will root and ground you in His boundless love.
- Ask, believing that He knows best what you need when you need it, and that He can more than abundantly equip you for the work to which He has called you.
- Admit that without Him, you can do nothing and that all glory belongs to Him.
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. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:14-21