In spite of some recent storms, the Valley’s water table remains low as most of Viriginia continues to experience moderate to severe drought conditions. We pray for God to provide rain not only for our crops but to also replenish our wells, streams, rivers, and ponds.
Even when showers come, however, potted flowers and container vegetables need consistent watering to stay healthy. As the consummate decorative landscaper, my wife waters her pots on our porch several times a week to keep them blooming beautifully. If she neglects to do so, it doesn’t take long for them to wilt or even die.
Trees, shrubs and flowers that are planted in the ground have much more durability as their roots can spread out and access soil moisture to remain resilient even during droughts. Some of them send their roots down several feet to ensure the leaves, stems, and blooms above can survive and thrive.
This phenomenon from the natural world God created can teach us an important spiritual lesson. In order for our souls to survive and grow, we must put our roots down deeply into Him and His Word. Skipping quiet times of prayer and Scripture prevents spiritual root development that is vitally necessary for our souls to flourish. Depending only on others to nourish us creates a situation very similar to potted plants that need constant care. How much healthier it is to develop a significant root network of our own that draws sustenance from the Bible. Doing so can prevent our susceptibility to droughty conditions that cause us to wither and die.
The prophet Jeremiah says that a man who trusts in the Lord and puts His confidence in Him is 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.” Every time I hear or read that verse a large sycamore near Headley Road comes to my mind. Even in the driest summers, that tree stays green and productive because it is right beside the river and its roots are constantly watered by the North Fork of the Shenandoah.
If we truly trust in the Lord and put our confidence in Him, we will consult Him daily for advice and direction as well as for joy and companionship. We will reach out and draw our very life from Him. When we do so, the leaves of our personality can stay green and fresh and our labors will continue to bear Jesus’ fruit even in the hottest driest weather.
In Psalm 1:3, David shares a similar observation about a person who delights in and regularly meditates on God’s Word. He says this individual is also like a tree planted by a stream that yields its fruit in season and whose leaves do not wither. He adds that whatever this person does will prosper in the same way a large tree thrives by the river’s edge. No one has ever watered that sycamore on Headly Road and no one has ever needed to. Instead of being a high maintenance potted pansy, it flourishes entirely on its own.
Trees do not select where they will be planted or grow but we can. The time to sink our roots deeply into the richness of God’s Son and His Word is not when the winds are howling and the clouds are bursting. It’s not even in the driest summer. Each morning we must send our roots deeper into Jesus so that our network of relationship, knowledge, faith, and belief developed in wet times can sustain us in our droughts and storms. If you haven’t done so already today, take some time now to grow your spiritual roots deeper by praying and reading God’s Word. It will help you bloom for Jesus. Blessings, George