As a Christian and follower of Jesus Christ, you have something that no other group of people has on earth. You have hope, peace, and the joy of the Lord, even while suffering and in times of uncertainty. So send your roots deep in the Lord, and stand firm by faith.
Now, this doesn’t mean that you are never sad, in pain, or without tears at many times. On the contrary, sorrows, heartaches, problems, and hard times is a part of life that no one can escape. But these things do not define you; they actually strengthen and refine you.
May your confidence be in Lord God because He has a purpose for it all. He oversees and controls your destiny. His loving hand is always upon you, surrounding, protecting, and holding you fast. This knowledge keeps you going by faith, not trusting your abilities or intellect but God.
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
Have you realized that He is in control? That His all-encompassing being has designed every aspect of your life? Everything happens for a reason, and nothing is wasted. He is growing your roots deeper and deeper into the Rock of Ages to keep you standing tall like a tree growing out of a mighty rock. You will be like that tree firmly planted upon the rock and nourished by the fountain of life. That life comes from the Spirit of the Lord.
He is increasing your endurance, devotion, faith, and trust in Him in every conceivable way, whenever things get hard. He increases His Spirit within you, like the wind constantly blowing on a tree daily, and year by year, it strengthens it. The tree’s roots grow deep within the earth; similarly, your roots grow deeper within the Lord. However, you may not realize it. He is increasing your dependence, endurance, and reliance on Him alone, not to mention your understanding, wisdom, and knowledge in Him and of Him.
For ‘In Him, we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are indeed His offspring.’ Acts 17:28
God genuinely desires to grow your trust in Him and strengthen your faith. To make you firmly grounded, rooted, and standing up straight with His power. He wants you to walk with confidence in the strength and authority of His Spirit. That you may not lose hope as the fight continues.
Think of a tree planted by a stream as a seedling. It starts small, fragile, and insignificant. But over time, it grows, and according to its size, it is blown and bent by each passing storm. Eventually, it becomes a mighty tree, growing ever stronger day by day. Its roots stretch and hold fast to massive rocks, boulders, and earth to withstand any strong storm, wind, drought, or pressure.
God treats you in this manner. He sends storms, winds, and droughts upon you to make you stronger. But only in proportion to what you can handle until you have grown like a mighty tree in the Lord. Isn’t that incredible? What the Lord has been doing for you. What you thought was harmful to you was very beneficial and necessary.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law, he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Psalm 1:1-4
When God makes you strong, you can stand against any evil thing and when any temptations come to blow you over. Because of His work within you, no wicked foe or scheme of the devil will ever take you down. On the contrary, their pressure will only cause you to grow even stronger, displaying what is in your heart and the goodness of the Lord.
When you have grown up in the Lord’s discipline, what seemed to be so difficult and painful, will be celebrated. All because of the work He accomplished in your life. The temptations that caused you to fall in the past will be like the beating of the tiny wings of a fly against a mighty tree. They will no longer have power over you. But they will be insignificant against the power and strength your God has given you. So praise the Lord for the refinement and growth He caused in His servants’ lives.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him, we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoiced in hope of the glory of God.
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person, one would dare even to die— but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:1-8
The Soul Sower 