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 it never fails to bear fruit. ––Jeremiah 17:7-8
This is a picture of a man who is secure in God’s love—rooted and established, as the gardener desires. He “sends out” roots to find the supply of God’s love. He is confident and at peace, no matter the pressures around him. His roots are deep and wide, always searching.
The below-the-ground work is not lagging behind the above-the-ground person but rather is feeding, informing, and fueling the healthy color and fruit above ground in every success or storm. In God’s Word, we see the X-ray of a healthy tree both below and above the ground:
The waters nourished it,
deep springs made it grow tall;
their streams flowed
all around its base
and sent their channels
to all the trees of the field.
So it towered higher
than all the trees of the field;
its boughs increased
and its branches grew long,
spreading because of abundant waters.
All the birds of the sky
nested in its boughs,
all the animals of the wild
gave birth under its branches;
all the great nations
lived in its shade.
It was majestic in beauty,
with its spreading boughs,
for its roots went down
to abundant waters. –– Ezekiel 31:4-7
Don’t miss the connection between deep springs, base rooting, tall growth, and the abundance of life. Everything above ground is made possible by what is happening below ground. One process nourishes and makes the other possible.
Nourished by God’s love, we grow down to grow up and into Christ.
If you are wondering what “the next best step” might be to grow your roots further down, start with your time with God. As you grow that and soak in the nourishment of His presence, He will send His Holy Spirit to personally prune, water, and nourish your spiritual root system.
Lord, I sometimes doubt my ability to grow deep roots in You—take away my performance mentality and help me to simply abide and grow in Your presence.
