"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 17:7-8
I read these verses recently and they've been on my mind ever since.
The one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in the Lord, does not fear the future. He does not fear the heat that may come, or the drought that may happen...
Why? Because he knows that God will provide.
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He trusts in the Lord. His confidence is in Him.
As I was thinking this through, one question came to mind... Why? Why is there no fear of heat or worries of drought?
I think that the reason is simple: The one who trusts in the Lord does not fear because 1) his confidence is in the Lord, and 2) he is ROOTED in the Lord.
Rooted.
I love this analogy in Jeremiah because I think it paints a great picture of what trusting the Lord can look like. It looks like roots!
Now, let's be honest... I don't have a green thumb...and I honestly didn't enjoy learning about plants in science classes in school BUT I think that there are some fantastic analogies in Scripture pertaining to nature, and things we can learn about God, His character, and our own lives from the nature God created.
When I think about the word "rooted," my first thought is of Ephesians 3:17, when Paul is praying for the Ephesian church that they may be "...rooted and established in love..." The term rooted is also used in Colossians chapter 2, verse 7, when Paul writes that we are to be "rooted and built up in him," (him being Christ Jesus).
As followers of Christ, we are to be rooted. Rooted in Christ, rooted in the Word of God, and rooted in love.
Why is being rooted so important?
Well, it all starts with the roots, doesn't it? Think about the tallest trees. How do they stay standing in the midst of storms and heavy wind and rain?
Luanne Leineke, of the Sacramento Tree Foundation, says this about roots: "Trees create a magnificent root structure to hold their wide spreading canopies upright. Rainy, windy weather may damage a few weaker branches, but trees with healthy root systems will “weather the storm”... If the root system is not strong enough, the tree may blow over." (Source: http://www.sactree.com/news/50)
The roots of a tree determine its strength.
The roots hold up the canopies of the tree.
The roots determine how the tree handles the storms of life.
The roots of a tree are the source of its life, and are also the way it gets the water it needs to survive.
If the roots are healthy and strong, then the tree is healthy and strong.
I think the same can be said for me and you. If our roots our strong (in the Lord and in His Word), then our faith can be strong in the Lord.
If our roots are in the Lord, we should make Him the source we always go to for our needs (like a tree goes to its roots for water).
We don't need to fear the impending droughts or heat, because we are ROOTED in the Lord. Our trust is in Him.
After thinking this through, I have to ask myself a few questions, convicting questions...
-Am I trusting in God like the man in Jeremiah 17 does?
-Is my confidence in the Lord?
-Do I not fear the heat or worry about the drought?
-Is Christ the source I go to?
-Am I rooted? And if I am, rooted in what?
My prayer is that I will be rooted in the Lord, trusting in Him, placing my confidence in Him.
Rooted in Him, so that I do not fear the coming heat or droughts of life.
Rooted in Him, so that I can withstand the storms of life when they come.
May my life, my heart, and my mind be rooted in the Lord, in His Word, and in His love.
May my roots in Christ go down deep, so that while I might be shaken by the storms of life, I will have the strength to stand tall and continue to bear fruit (Jeremiah 17:8).
This is my prayer. Will it be yours, too?
