“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8 (ESV)
Have you ever heard of the Biosphere? It’s a research facility out in the Arizona desert originally designed to study plant life inside artificial ecosystems. Perfect conditions, perfectly secure, perfectly climate controlled… sounds great right? Here’s where things get interesting. At the start of the experiments, the trees planted in the Biosphere grew at a much faster rate than any of their siblings in the wild, BUT at a certain point, they literally just uprooted and fell over. Not just one or two, but every tree in the Biosphere would reach an age where it could not bear its own weight. Eventually, the scientist realized the cause of the problem… there was no wind. Translation: there was no tension, no resistance, no uncertainty, no inconsistency, no reason for the root systems to learn their purpose: to grow deep.
To put it gently, this has been quite the year (said with a desperate smile). Most of us are facing more uncertainty and tension than we have ever seen in our lifetimes. Living in the struggle is hard work. We hide from it, we ignore it, we despise it. Often times we act like it will be the death of us, but it might be the thing keeping us alive. Could it be that God is more concerned with our growing rightly than our growing quickly? Could it be that God is not scared of the process though often times we act like He is? It’s good for our souls to remember that the promises of God are eternal. They do not run away from the process; they carry us through it. Remember, God knows what it's like to walk through the desert. Moreover, if our hope is truly in the resurrection, then we must always remember this: God does some of His best work in the dark. Plant your trust by the river today, friends. Let your roots grow deep into the promise.
You’ve been God for a long time
You’re the final word
You’re the finish line
Everything is gonna be alright
You’ve been God for a long time