Rooted, Held Firm

When I choose  
to trust 
in spite of 
everything 
I shoot 
new rootlets 
into the  
pulsing 
burrowing 
system  
that anchors me 
in Jesus’ love. 

Living there
I am
drinking in
hesed and agape
unending
intimate
unselfish
empathetic
forgiving
unretaliating
love beyond
my understanding.

My heart is full
my veins
are pulsing
energy of life
and Jesus
has become
my constant
strength and song.

There is so much imagery in the Bible about plants! The Creator made them all, planned out the ways in which they would thrive and produce what his people and his earth need. And we people depend so much on the plants that the word pictures make great sense when we contemplate them.

I think of the Vine and its branches, and the way that the sap flows from the trunk (which is Jesus) to nourish the branches and make them fruitful. Then there is this  passage that adds rich depth to understanding the nutrient value of what we coak up from that attachment to him. It references what roots absorb from the soil in the ground that holds them firmly in place. I looked at the ancient tree in the photo above that has lived through countless storms, still flourishing—firmly rooted in the ground, even expanding its reach. It actually has become kind to the town people, giving them a place to store their wares. It is useful in new ways, old as it is.

I wonder how much nourishment it has to drink up in its mature age to keep healthy: Think about these verses :

¹⁶ I pray that

according to the wealth of his glory

he may grant you to be strengthened with power

through his Spirit in the inner person,

¹⁷ that Christ may dwell in your hearts

through faith,

so that,

 because you have been rooted and grounded in love,

¹⁸you may be able to comprehend with all the saints

what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

¹⁹ and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,

so that

you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

(Eph. 3:16-19 NET)

The prayers for growth in these verses are powerful, each one linked to a prerequisite. Then it culminates with the criteria for knowing the love of Christ and being “filled up to all the fullness of God.” Which one of us who is committed to him does not long to be filled up like that? No more languishing, wilting, or failing to grow!

We must be strengthened by the Spirit in our inner person for us to get to that point. He lives in us, once we give ourselves to the Lord and devote ourselves to obedience.

This then makes it possible for Christ to live in us: we believe his promises, we accept his salvation and his daily shepherding. We have to have faith, trusting that what we cannot see is nevertheless truly Real, that Jesus is our Rescuer and Master.

It is because of that that we can put down roots into love, roots that hold us steady through storms and sunny days. His love sustains us and empowers us to really know him, to understand what is beyond normal human capability to understand: how incredibly deep and wide is his love! When we finally know what cannot be known otherwise, then we can be filled with God himself! His Presence changes everything in our outlook and our actions. His love is pouring through us, making us able to be healthy and fruitful. He himself is filling every aspect of our person!

So let’s shove our roots down to that love and drink it in. Storms will come, as well as long dry seasons, but that deep love never runs dry. And it flows into us, bringing us to that place of knowing increasingly better our beloved King of the Universe who actually wants to live with us so intimately!