Your ability to
withstand tough times or to flourish is directly related to how deeply you’re
rooted, students at Smithville Christian High School were told at this week’s
chapel.
Building on this year’s
spiritual life theme of “Thrive,” Park quoted Jeremiah 17:7-9 and told students
they are like trees.
“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
Park said a tree’s roots
are important in four ways:
- They anchor the tree.
- They draw up water.
- They store strength for the future.
- They promise new life.
Anchor
A tree’s roots anchor it
and give it stability, no matter how strong the winds might blow, Park said,
quoting Ephesians 6:13. If you are rooted in your identity in Jesus Christ, “You may be able to stand
your ground, and after you have
done everything, to stand.”
But God does not force us, he does not pull
our roots out of us, he invites us to dig in, Park said. When we are rooted in
the Word of God, when we read the Bible, when we worship, when we pray and when
we think about him “with purpose and desire, not because we have to, but
because we are compelled to, we desire it,” that’s when our roots go deep. Then,
when bad things happen, our minds will be able to think about the promises of
God because those promises will be an ingrained part of our identity.
Draw
In Scripture, water imagery is powerful, Park
said, such as the image of Old Testament priests pouring water over the altar,
or Jesus offering living water to the Samaritan woman at the well. Just as a
tree’s roots will automatically grow towards water, we should also seek out
living water, he said. Jesus said “whoever drinks the water I
give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Store
A tree with deep roots can
survive a drought and so can we survive tough times if we have deep roots, Park
said. Spiritual Emphasis Week or an exciting Serve project or a good church service
can serve to nourish our faith, but dry times will inevitably come and that’s
when we need to have deep roots. “What a blessing it is to have the word of God
impacting you every day,” he said, but in addition to experiencing it now, we
know that “a day will come that what is getting stored in your roots right now
will come back to you when you need it.” When trouble comes, you can pray that
God will bring it to mind, “and he will, because he loves you that much.”
New Life
When a neighbour’s landscaping
crew cut down a flowering bush on Park’s front lawn by mistake, Park and his
wife were devastated, but within a short time, that bush had sent out new
shoots and was flourishing again. “At least there is hope for a tree,” Park
said, quoting Job 14:7. “If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new
shoots will not fail.”
We all mess up, we say
things we shouldn’t say and fail to say or do the things we should do, Park
said. It’s like we are chopping off our own branches. But if we are deeply
rooted, and especially if we are deeply rooted with each other, like the roots
of sequoia trees, we will revive, he said.
How deep are your roots? Are you
digging in? Are you going after the water of life?
* * *
The “Jesus Jammers” student
praise team also led in worship with “I Surrender,” “Brokenness Aside,” and “Holding
Nothing Back.”
Park said when we thank a
praise team with applause we are commending the talent and dedication of the
student musicians who are leading us, but we are also thanking God that the
words we are singing are true. “We’re not just thanking our praise team, we are
thanking God it’s true.”
