THE ROOT; THE ROCK; THE ANCHOR
THE ROOT; THE ANCHOR; THE ROCK
On my way home the other day, I saw an upturned tree which apparently had been uprooted during the storm of the previous day. Then this got me thinking about roots so I went on a search and here is what was discovered.
There were quite a few definitions of roots but one in particular caught my attention, from rhymezone “(botany): the usually underground organ that lacks buds or leaves or nodes; absorbs water and mineral salts; usually it anchors the plant to the ground”.
So I began to dwell on the fact that roots anchor the plant to the ground. Then what is it that keeps us anchored (or should I say rooted?) through the storms of life? Because there will be storms! What is our anchor then?
The story was told of a wise man who built his house on a rock and when the rains pelted down, floods came, winds blew and beat heavily upon the house, the house did not fall. For the reason that it’s foundation was rock solid. Matthew 7: 24-25 (paraphrased)
When I looked closely at that upturned tree I had seen the other day, it was clear that there was absolutely nothing holding it down to the ground. All its roots had been yanked out of the earth. By the very next day it had been chopped to bits and removed from the park otherwise pieces of it might easily swim or float to other parts of the park if another storm came.
As Christians we were never promised a smooth ride. In fact Jesus made it very clear that it would not be the case. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 KJV . And so we are constantly in the face of trials and tribulations and all kinds of afflictions that threaten to drown us or just snuff the very breath out of us. But in Jesus we have an anchor, a safety net, a secure haven, a refuge and a place of peace.
“Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;” Hebrews 6:19 KJV
Without the firm root, without the anchor and solid rock foundation, we would be tossed back and forth in the storms of life, end up being uprooted and just float along when floods come which will most probably carry us exactly where we should not be. So we should stay rooted in Christ, our firm foundation. Any other foundation will fail. The prophet Jeremiah sums it up in Jeremiah 17:5-8 NLT
“This is what the LORD says:“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,
who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the LORD.
They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future.
They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land.
But blessed are those who trust in the LORD, and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” Jeremiah 17: 5- 8 NLT
Let me leave you with the words of the first stanza and chorus of this great hymn by Priscilla Jane Owens (music by William James Kirkpatrick)
WILL YOUR ANCHOR HOLD IN THE STORMS OF LIFE?
Will your anchor hold in the storms of life, When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain, Will your anchor drift or firm remain?
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Stedfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.”
As we trust in the Lord, Jesus Christ, our anchor, may we remain “grounded firm and deep” in His love.
Oluyinka Ego-Martins ©