A few years ago, when living in South Carolina, we went through Hurricane Matthew. I never dreamed this Hurricane would result in a lesson on deepening your relationship with God, but God has some unique ways of teaching us what He feels we need to learn.
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Old Oak Tree
This Hurricane frightened me quite a bit. For one, my husband was inches from being killed from a tree that fell right next to the spot he was standing in when he went outside to pull a loose shingle off the house before it broke a window.
When they say “stay inside” during a Hurricane, take it seriously!
That tree hit the house but thankfully didn’t do much damage (and didn’t hit my husband!).
On top of some other damage (minor really) that our home went through, our driveway started to buckle.
We had a very old, VERY large oak tree in front of the house and its root system ran under the driveway.
When the strong winds and torrential downpours pulled the tree slightly to one side, it pulled on the roots under the driveway and made them burst through some of the concrete. The tree was still standing, mostly due to the fact that, at its age, it had a substantial root system keeping it from toppling.
We appreciated that fact as it was right in front of the house.
Rooted in Faith
But looking at this driveway and seeing the roots underneath made me think about the roots of our faith.
It made me think of how we go about deepening our relationship with God and being rooted in faith.
We are called to produce fruit. There is much written in the Bible about the fruits of the spirit but also about our production of fruit as believers.
Matthew 7:17-20 is one such verse. It says:
So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
You see, in order for a tree to produce fruit, it has to be healthy. A tree that is unhealthy will not produce good fruit, or any fruit at all.
In order for a tree to BE healthy, it needs to gain sufficient nourishment.
It needs water, it needs healthy soil, it needs food (which it gets from the soil) and it needs sufficient light based on the needs of that particular tree.
Everything, except the light, is provided to the tree by its roots. Without a viable root system, the tree will not gain what it needs to produce fruit.
It will likely just continue to exist without fulfilling its intended purpose or it may wither and die.
Like that tree, if we do not have a strong root system, we cannot bear fruit and be a light to the world if we are not rooted (in our case, rooted in faith).
Matthew 13:3-8 says:
And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
This parable that Jesus shared demonstrates the importance of developing strong roots thereby deepening our relationship with God and with others.
He said “since they had no root, they withered away.”
Jesus made it clear; the lack of roots caused this withering to occur.
Getting Rooted
We too, like the seeds that fell on rocky ground, will wither away without producing fruit because we lack those roots.
So how do we ensure our roots are like that big old oak tree that was in my yard, resisting wind and rain and the storms of life?
Ephesians 3:17-19:
…that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Being rooted and grounded in love!
1 John 4:8:
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
God is love! Knowing God is knowing love!
How do we know God?
His Word!
How do we develop our relationship with God in love?
Through prayer!
We become rooted and grounded and produce fruit when we know His Word and do it, showing love to others!
God’s Word
His Word is the light that gives us growth as the sun gives the tree the light it needs!
Jesus is the bread of life! He is the living water! He fills us, through His Word just like the tree gets its nourishment through the soil!
The more time we spend in the Word, the deeper our roots run and the more fruit we will produce.
As God’s love takes root in us, we will do that which He desires of us!
Yes, producing fruit is important for the believer in deepening your relationship with God and in being a light to others, but cannot be achieved without healthy roots.
Focus on the roots and we will overflow with fruit!
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So good!
The dry times, the high gales drive our roots deep into the soil.
I want to be that kind of tree!
Amen!!! I do too!!
Powerful message, Diane. Sounds scary to have to go through the hurricane and thankful your husband was not hit. Love all the verses you shared and the insight about being rooted and grounded in Christ, God’s Word, and bearing fruit. It also reminded me of Psalm 1.
“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.” (Verses 1-3, NIV)
Amen! I love that verse! Thank you Karen!!
Natural disasters are definitely horrifying experiences. I’ve been through both hurricanes and tornadoes. We had several trees uprooted through tornadoes and it’s amazing when I see those root balls on top of the ground instead of underneath where they belong.
Yes but unlike those trees whose roots do come up, we who have Jesus will not be shaken!!
There is so much truth here. We must be deeply rooted in our faith in Jesus Christ. I know there have been times in my life that I was not rooted and it had heartbreaking outcomes. When the storms of life come in we must be prepared. Thanks for spreading Truth and Love Diane.
Yes there have been those times in my life as well! Thank you so much April!!
Great encouragement today! laurensparks.net
Thanks Lauren!
I’ve visited that tree in the picture before. It’s awe inspiring! When we compare our roots in Christ to the roots that tree has, we can understand that we all can grow even more rooted in the word and grow more and more.
We have been there as well! It is definitely an awe inspiring tree!! And amen….that is so true!!!
Oh, how much I long for good roots! It’s easy to get distracted by all the things we see (and the things everyone else will see), but more than anything I want to be deeply rooted in God. I want to have strong roots that withstand the storms.
(and I’m glad you’re all ok!)
Amen me too!!! Thank you!!
Great post! I have often prayed that God would make me like a oak tree, strong and resilient in His Word. I’ll be back later to link up, too! 8)
Awesome!!! Thank you!!
I just love this comparison! The tree would have been damaged, and so would your house have been, if not for it’s strong, healthy roots! Thank you for sharing this, I needed to read this right now.
Thank you Lisa! I am so glad it encouraged you!
Thanks for sharing. I’m glad that your husband wasn’t hurt, and there wasn’t too much damage. It sounds like a lot of good came from the hurricane too though.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
Thank you! Yes, God has a way of showing us such good in the midst of storms!
Living in Atlanta, I had an oak in the front yard. It probably saw Sherman march through. We were concerned it would fall, it has gone through tornadoes and ice storms, it is still there. I wish I did know the age of it, I read so much history, some soldier may have taken cover there when it was young. I can’t say it was there for sure but it is possible. Having deep roots keeps us standing in any storm.
That’s very cool! I’m sure there’s a specialist who could give it’s age!
I know they core it out some way, but I don’t live there now, maybe the next owner will be curious.
I see so much lately that promotes getting into God’s word deeply through reading our bibles. And really spending time knowing who God is and our identity through Him. This gives me hope that God’s word is becoming a focus of many so that we can stand tall and steady throughout any storms or attacks by the enemy! Thanks for following God’s call and bringing this message to others.
Amen!! Thank you so much Lynn!!
The hurricane story was so scary! Glad to hear the your hubby was not hurt. The verse from Matthew is one of my favorites. “Roots before fruits” is a great way to live your life.
Amen and thank you Laurie!!
It’s so true that without deep roots, we won’t get to where we need to be. Thanks for the kick in the butt!
My pleasure Bailey lol Thank you!
Love the ‘roots before fruits’ phrase and the word picture it creates as we walk out our faith journey. It’s so easy to get it reversed.
It sure is! Thank you Crystal!!
YES! I love this! It reminds me of Psalm 1 – I want to be the tree that never withers. George Muller had a lot to say about the necessity of time spent in prayer and God’s Word in the life of a fruitful Christian. (I was going to share a quote here, but there are too many. 🙂 )
Thank you Jana!! I will have to look up those quotes!!
Amen to deep roots. I am working on that this year. I want my roots to be deep and rich in the Lord.
Amen!!! Me too my friend!!