Rooted

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.

Isaiah 11:10

 

Have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus: who emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant; and. HumbledHimself, becoming obedient even unto death. Wherefore God also highly exalted Him.

Philippians 2:5-7

We once had a home on a quiet street with the lines drawn in order and houses neatly separated by tidy fences and carefully sectioned acres. The day we moved there from a series of years living near the Sahara, I lay down in the front yard and laughed for joy until my ribs were sore. Lush, green grass stretched in every direction, filling my lungs with the sweet scent of life.

The five of us explored nurseries and tree farms for just the right species, dreaming of wide branches and shady refuge. In the end, we selected elm trees and planted two right in front of the house.

Our house was on a hill, and what we did not know when we bought it was that its heightened position made it a perfect obstacle to break the path of small twisters so common to the area in summer. A few months after our new trees took root, a tiny tornado collided with our hilltop, spilling its contents across the lawn and our front porch. We emerged to find screen doors, shoes, trash, and various dog toys all over the place. And one of our precious trees had snapped at the base.

I called a tree expert because that’s what wise homeowners in orderly neighborhoods do. A burly guy dressed in plaid flannel parked his super-sized truck in our driveway and I showed him the poor tree.

I guess it’s dead, isn’t it.

Oh, no, ma’am. This tree snapped just below the graft. It is very alive. Let it grow, and in six months you’ll have a new tree stronger than the one you planted.

His advice was free and off he went, job done.

Over the next few years that tree grew to be three times the size of the other trees. But it was not an elm anymore. The elm had been grafted into a stronger tree, and the stronger tree survived.

Andrew Murray once said of humility, “No tree can grow except on the root from which it sprang.”

How does your tree grow today, dear one? A strong wind is blowing, and as a follower of Jesus, your unique position makes you a perfect obstacle to the storms frequent to this life on earth.

Jesus is the Stronger Root, the Root of Jesse, and the secret to His strength is that He emptied Himself of it to save you and me. Humility is His strength, and ours. Jesus humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death.

Be assured that anything else will snap right down to the base when the tornadoes of life come barreling through in all their fury.

But even so, the Root of Jesse is alive. If you are rooted in the Stronger Tree, you will survive. Give it time, and you will grow into a stronger tree than the one you planted.

The tree that springs from the root of humility will grow taller than all the other trees in the garden, providing fruit for the hungry, refuge for the weary, and singing will be heard in its branches.

Spring up in the strength of humility, little tree.

Lord, make me a tree springing from the Root of Jesse so that through my life You will stand as a banner for the peoples, the nations will rally to You, and Your resting place will be glorious. Amen.

@audreycfrank

Photo by Dmitriy Adamenko on Unsplash