Let your roots run deep! This is the message I hear from the Lord today.
Growing up in North East Texas a few miles out of town, down a gravel road, with a mile or more that separated neighbors I had plenty of time as a child to run and roam free on our 100-acre farm. I spent most days of the summer not with friends of the two-legged variety but with the cows, running barefoot through the meadow, throwing rocks in the ponds, the world of make-believe was paramount.
On our particular land there were very few, and I mean FEW trees. My parents said we lived on a prairie. I understand that it may not meet all the requirements of an official prairie but it was mostly meadows of tall grass, and depending on what dad had planted that year the feel beneath the bare feet could change depending on the time of year. We had a total of four ponds that the cows could drink from, they were not for swimming! Along the banks of one of the largest ponds willow trees would shoot up and grow providing shade from the sun and a young girl could sit and dream, rest from the walk over, skip rocks and watch the fish and turtles hit the top of the water.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 says this:
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord, For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
During this 2020 crisis of pandemic proportion I encourage you to sit by the river of life, His name is Jesus. His supply is endless, it’s not stagnant, and it is not in short supply! His presence will bring you quiet peace from the raging voice of the enemy. The heat of the battle is distressing but we have an open invitation to run to the Father, his arms are open wide.
Stop what your doing today and allow your roots to run deep. For some of you that will mean going back to what you have been taught from a child. You know where to run, not in frantic panic but to the protection and security of the ONE who has kept you always. For others this may be new to you, and oh what a joy you will discover as you sit in His presence. We have not been promised that drought would not come or that the heat would not bear down but we have been promised that God will sustain us, that we will be blessed if our hope is in Him. When we allow our roots to be firmly connected to the water supply of Jesus, we won’t have to be anxious, our leaves will remain green, our fruit will not just be for our own consumption but also ample, continuous supply to the hungry world around us.
What can you do today? Here are a few thoughts to get you connected. Turn off Netflix, get out of the kitchen and go down to the “river of life”. Do that by turning on your favorite praise music and worship. Spend some time in the Word of God – read it out loud, declare it’s TRUTH! Bring to your remembrance the goodness of God, the many times He has kept you in the past, Thank Him for who He is and what He’s done. If possible, go outside with that same atmosphere of thanksgiving, meditating on the Word of God and admiring the beauty of the creation, praising the Creator as you go.
Scriptures to look up and Read:
Jeremiah 17:5-10 Psalm 1:1-6 John 4: 13-14 Revelation 22:1
Prayer of Confession: My Hope Lord, is in you alone. I confess any tendency I have to rely on man or my own endeavors for security and safety. I happily surrender to you Jesus, knowing that You love me relentlessly and hold me as the apple of your eye. In Jesus name, amen.