From my apartment window, I can see two mighty, old oak trees. Over time, people have blasted the ground around them, laying city water and sewer lines and putting in a gas station and a store with a large parking lot.
The aged oaks now look out upon a busy four-lane road with its own middle turn lane. Concrete, noise, and asphalt hem them in, yet they stand firm. Their taproots reach deep into waters we can’t see, and their branches and leaves reach air and light above the racket of human progress. These sentinels richly inspire me, knowing they move to a different rhythm of time and life than the harried human world surrounding them.
Similarly, God calls us to operate out of His kingdom’s time and grace and to drink deeply from His waters. But where are these waters? Scripture refers to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God as sources.
To grow deep taproots, I have developed a pattern. Sometimes, I identify a particular weakness, doubt, or anxiety that oppresses my faith, like the summer’s dearth of water shrivels sapling tree leaves.
Once the Lord has clarified the nature of that weakness, I ask the Holy Spirit to pinpoint a Scripture that nails that little focus of unbelief. Then I drink deeply of God’s truth. I memorize passages or whole chapters that put to rest my trouble. As I meditate on them, I find my peace and delight in the Lord and am made whole. His enduring truth overcomes my momentary concerns.
Truly, with the LORD is the fountain of life, and in His light, we see the light. It is a simple and effective discipline.
As life pounds jackhammers around you, stand tall and strong. Reach deeply into the Lord’s truths and rise above the noise.
Kim Robinson is a former schoolteacher who has taught in rural and central Oregon, Alaska, and with Mercy Ships in Africa. She currently lives in Salem, Oregon, where she is delighted to serve the Lord as a mom, grandma, writer, copy editor, and encourager of others.