My journey with Jesus has been defined by growth. Continual growth. One of my favorite descriptions that God has for us is ‘being like a tree.’ In the Bible Jeremiah 17:7-8 & Psalm 1 can get you started. Over the years, God has shown me the importance of allowing Him to grow my roots deeper in Him. This growth always came at a juncture between fear or trust! Every time I would seek Him and pray through a trial, He would always meet me with a scripture that met my need exactly. It was then my choice to put my trust in the scripture and allow The Word to become a part of my root structure. My roots have grown because He helped me to trust Him in ‘thousands of unknowns’ over the years.
This year, I learned more than I thought possible about drilling oil wells. (I’m not writing as an expert!) This type of work is not for the faint of heart at all. You must be wise, resilient, and steadfast when things don’t appear at the moment to be going the way you expect. However, the only way to the oil is down! Deeper and deeper is the only way to find oil. I was in awe when I learned my friend was going 3 miles into the earth to find the oil! Again this isn’t for the faint at heart. You need to be a champ!
This morning I saw parallels between deeper spiritual roots and drilling for oil:
- Both require to travel into darkness.
- Both need to stay the course.
- Both run into things that are unexpected.
- Both are in search of a fluid. Deeper roots=Living water; Drilling= oil.
- Both require tools to accomplish the mission. Deep roots= The Bible, The Holy Spirit, prayer & people; Oil drilling= millions of dollars of equipment & people!
There is a point where these parallels diverge in my mind.
- Depending on the oil reservoir, your oil can run out and stop providing a supply.
- Living Water from the Lord at the deepest place in our hearts never runs out! The supply is infinite.
In light of all that is going on today in our world, I encourage you to allow God to help you grow deeper roots in Him! This is a journey that requires knowing Him, reading His Word, praying to Him, then choosing to Trust Him when things don’t look like what His Word says. This is the walk of faith!
Keep drilling for the deeper roots! You will become wise, resilient, and steadfast!
