The Deeper the Roots, the Better the Endurance

“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” (Jer 17:7-8 AV)

What an encouraging passage of scripture!  Note in particular that adversity has no permanent effect on the tree that suffers in the midst of it!  There is drought.  But the root system is so deep, that the tree produces fruit despite it.  There is the heat of summer.  But the tree still produces leaves.  The depth of the root system is the key.  The deeper the saint is rooted and grounded in who and what God is, the better he or she can weather the storms of life.  All plant life may wither and die, but a tree planted by the waters can withstand the heat and drought longer than any other.  One might ask where the water came from if there is heat and drought.   It is groundwater buried deep beneath the surface.  Another indication the depth of roots is what determines the ability of the tree to survive.  The deeper we are in the reality of God, the far better we can weather the storm.  This is why the study of God’s word and prayer is essential for the believer.  He or she must read the bible and believe it.  He or she must spend time in intimate prayer so that when the circumstances of life are overwhelming, the reality of that relationship will sustain the saint.  Living is not worth it if we cannot weather the harsh realities of life.  Faith is the ingredient many are missing.

One thing that surprised me while living in Kentucky was how green things were despite the heat.  It may have been, in part, due to the humidity.  Every morning the grass would be covered with serious dew.  I can attest to this because of all the golfing I did at 5:30 in the morning.  But I digress.  I noticed how green and tall the trees were.  Compared to my native north, trees seem to be third larger.  There were times when there was no rain for two months during the summer.  Yet, the crops continued to grow and the trees never showed any indication of the drought.  I asked one of my church members who also owned farmland why this was so.  He explained it this way.  The dirt in which his crops and trees grew was sand-based soil.  This soil retains water rather well.  For example, if you go to a beach, you don’t have to dig very deep to find moist sand.  There is a downside to this soil, however.  It is not very supportive of root systems of larger plants like trees.  Trees like the water maple could blow over in a stiff wind.  The oaks and ash trees did very well.  Their root system is very deep.  The tree in which I hung my deer stand must have been at least seventy feet high if it was ten feet.  This was more common than not.  The heat of the Kentucky summer, at times, was unbearable.  One could hardly breathe.  The air was still and thick.  One summer it didn’t rain at all for eight weeks.  I thought for sure my friend’s crops would be ruined, and with the heat, many trees would have lost their leaves.  But not so.  Why?  Because the water supply wasn’t something they had to travel to.  It was below the ground.  The deeper the root system, the better the plant survived.

We wish we were stronger.  That is not how the LORD created us.  He created us with natural weaknesses that cause us to trust in and rely upon the LORD.  This is our burden.  It is also our privilege.  The picture that was in my head before writing this was Pslam one.  A tree planted by the rivers will not be moved.  Another benefit of having a deep root system founded in the truth of God’s word.  Even though the water supply may be unlimited, the tree only takes in what it needs for the moment.  It may store away some, but the tree does not store more than it might use.  When we are faced with adversity, we may not have all we need for the duration of the trial.  We will, however, have what we need when we need it.  This has been my experience in the forty years I have pastored.  It has always amazed me how the LORD gives strength and grace as we need it.  The many situations which I have seen and dealt with prove to me that God is always bigger than our adversity and will always supply that which we need when we need it.  Our problem is borrowing trouble from tomorrow when the trouble may not come at all.  The water you have today is for the adversity you have today.  Tomorrow will come.  There will be heat and drought.  Set those roots deep.  Study theology.  Read about who and what God is.  Look for His plan and realize God does not give you something you cannot handle without His help.  He knows you better than you know yourself.  He is not cruel.  He knows what you can handle and the measure of your spirituality is the depth of drought or heat that He allows.  You can do this!  Your water supply is infinite.  Drill for the water.  It is there.