"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourself, it is the gift of God."
This article is for Christians who were predestined, saved, sealed, who have an inheritance in heaven, who are filled with the Holy Spirit and for those who have a calling and a destiny of good works prepared by God before they were born. This article if for those who have acknowledged their sin, repented and who are walking in Spirit. So, Christian, I ask you now, as I ask myself...How deep are your roots?
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." Colossians 2:6-7 ESV"
The presence of wind makes a tree stronger, it is thus able to mature and not fall down due to its own weight. When plants and trees grow in nature, the wind constantly keeps them moving, strengthening their trunk and roots. If there’s no wind, the trees end up being much weaker and aren’t able to survive long. Trees grown indoors, without any kind of wind or stress hitting them on a regular basis tend to become weak. Before taking an indoor tree and placing it outside in natural conditions, the tree's structure has to be strengthened by causing stress. Stress is what makes a tree strong enough to sustain the wear and tear that it will face in future years. Interesting.
I saw a man lying on his back on the side of the freeway. He was covered, except for his arms and his shoes which stuck out toward the passing cars. The motorcycle was a twisted wreck. The ambulance was on its way. It was clear that he was dead; his face was covered and no one was near him. He lay there alone while those in authority were tending to others in the accident. I have seen scenes like this before. I have even stopped several times in years past to help until the authorities arrived. Working as a nurse, I have seen accidents, death and tragedy as well as healing and precious births. I was so saddened, however, to see this on my way home from work last week. I drove by, just a few feet from him, surprised to see this scene which had obviously happened not long before I passed by. I have thought about this accident victim several times since then. And I have thought about his family, too. Someone was expecting him to come home...and he didn't. We never know when our last moment will be. Our days are numbered. We were predestined; chosen and born intentionally. We have a time to live and a time to die. Whether we are hit by a truck or die in our sleep, which is my preferred method, God knows the number of our days; we do not.
As we move through our lives, are we flipping and flopping?Tossed about by every wave? Are the winds of life uprooting us? Or are we standing firm through the storms of life? If we fall or bend in the wind like a palm, do we spring back up eventually?
My winds, like yours, have been strong for the last year and a half. We can all blame the pandemic. But there is more to it, isn't there? Life has changed. Relationships, finances, politics, "the science" all have produced change. The trajectory of our lives has been altered. The winds of change are out and about. It's been more than a blustery day as Winnie the Pooh used to say. Life has changed.
Will we let those winds knock us over or will we use those winds to strengthen our roots? Has Satan and this world sucker-punched us in a variety of ways? Maybe. Have we made our own wrong choices? Possibly. Has someone else's choices caused problems for us? Could be...Regardless of what is happening in your life, I entreat you to pray and ask God for wisdom. I implore you to read your Bible and ask God to open the eyes of your heart for understanding. It says in Ephesians 1:18-23, "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and what is the surpassing greatness of His power towards who believe".
This world is changing and "getting real," as they say, meaning things are getting more difficult. It's hard to ignore that the problems in our country and in the world are mounting. But I say to you, with confidence and clarity, "God is real!" And He is near. He is here and He cares. He is the only one we can fully trust. As we read through Ephesians, I pray that the eyes of our hearts will be enlightened. I pray that we will know more fully the Word of God. I pray the Holy Spirit will guide, instruct, comfort and empower us. May we continue to walk in the Spirit, moving forward, trusting God with every difficult step. Courage isn't the absence of fear. Courage is being afraid and doing it anyway. Courage builds character. All of this builds faith. If we could do things on our own, if everything was easy, we wouldn't need faith. We wouldn't have to muster up courage.
So, be courageous. Life is short. Let's live it well. Strengthen your faith. You're not alone. God is with you. He is with us. Grow your roots, Christian. Stronger winds are coming and you needn't stand alone in the gale forces of the storm. God is our resource, our help in trouble. He develops our roots as we trust him in the dark places. I pray that you and I will continue to deepen our relationship and our walk with Almighty God, the God of the Universe, the God who provides, who answers prayer and who will never leave you nor forsake you. Amen.
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