“That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3 NKJV

When I was a child we lived in a tiny house, small as a dollhouse. The trees on the property were of towering proportions. Behind our house, way up at the top of the property was a small stream. Too small to call a creek or even a brook, it flowed all year round, never drying up. Beside that tiny, steady stream stood a beautiful, looming tree that looked completely different to all the others. When I asked my mother what kind of tree it was, she told me it was a Weeping Willow, and that they usually grew near water, so their roots could receive nourishment all year round, in all the seasons.

I thought of that tree many years later, when I came across the imagery of the believer as a tree “planted by streams of water, yielding fruit in its season, whose leaf does not wither. Ps.1:3.” I imagined myself sitting beside that tall tree, shaded from the hot summer sun, and from the spring rains. Meanwhile, this tall tree was getting its never ending sustenance from that tiny flow of water beside it. Its roots were tended by that water all year round.

In scripture we see the imagery of trees and branches, roots and streams. The Holy Spirit is spoken of as a stream of water flowing from our innermost beings. In John 15 Jesus said He is the vine and we are His branches. Paul writes in Eph 3:17 that we are to be rooted and grounded in love as we are empowered by the indwelling of Christ in our hearts. He also writes in Col. 2 we are to walk in Christ, rooted and built up in Him.

Another thing to know about roots is that for as tall as a tree measures in height, the roots of that tree grow and expand beneath the ground, providing strength and stability to that tree so that it does not topple over in storms. The depth of the roots provide the strength to that tree.

What do all of these things mean? It means that just as that Weeping Willow, I have roots. Those roots provide me strength; and those roots need nourishment. Not just once in a while. Not just from certain years in my life. But in order to be truly sustained in my life in Christ, I must stay near the Stream. Jesus, the Giver of the Living Water desires to water my roots, so that when the onslaughts of heart ache and grief and trials come to test me, I can stand secure.

Deeply rooted in His love, we remain loving. Rooted in Him, we are able to receive grace and give grace. These are the secrets to our hidden lives in Christ. Deeply rooted in Him we flourish in future seasons.

~ Debbie Ecker