Deep Roots Survive The Storm
Meet Carl.
Carl is a middle-aged man with the energy of a teenager and the judgment of, well… let’s say a work-in-progress. Carl recently decided he was tired of gardening and mowing his lawn. So, like any sensible man with access to the internet and a credit card, he ordered 10 "instant shade trees" online. The pictures showed these majestic, leafy oaks trees with captions like “Grows fast!” and “Storm-resistant!” And Carl was sold!
But what Carl didn’t notice was the fine print: “May require support and careful planting.”
Three weeks later, during a particularly dramatic thunderstorm, Carl watched out the window in horror as his entire new garden forest, shook, blew sideways and flattened to the ground like dominos. He ran outside into the rain, slipping in the mud, trying to stand all the magnificent trees up like a wobbly army of sticks.
Carl later pondered and told himself, “Well, apparently tree roots are a thing.”
Carl wasn’t wrong!
In life, we’re going to face storms. Not just the literal kind, but emotional hurricanes, spiritual typhoons, and unexpected downpours of disappointment. The difference between being flattened or standing firm isn't about how impressive we look or sound, it’s about how deeply we are rooted.
God designed us to be like trees planted by water. When we root ourselves in His Word, prayer, community, and obedience, we develop a stability that shallow living cannot provide. Deep roots mean we don’t panic when hard times hit. We might bend, but we don’t break. We might weep, but we don’t wither. Tough cookies, as the saying goes. But even a tough cookie will crack under the right amount of pressure. Think of it like palm trees….built to bend, not break, in a storm.
Now think of Jesus’ parable in Matthew 7. The wise man’s house withstood the storm because it was built on rock. That rock is Christ—the Word made flesh, the unshakable foundation. So how do we grow deep roots? By staying in the Word. Reading scripture even when you don’t feel like it, over time, becomes part of you. Praying honestly. Not just fancy words, or a loud recital, but a real and raw conversation with God, from the heart, withholding nothing. By being part of the church community. Solid trees often grow stronger in forests. Likewise, we need each other. And by being quick to obey. The more we act on God’s truth, the deeper God’s truth goes within us.
The storm is going to happen, it isn’t optional but collapse certainly is. During this time of fasting, let Carl’s story be a reminder to us all that flashy faith with shallow roots will not last. But the quiet, hidden work of deepening our relationship with Christ, will steady us when rain comes, and winds blow.
The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV) “But 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.”
Don’t just admire the tree—be the tree. Rooted. Unshakable. Alive.
God Bless You