Rooted in God

Jeremiah is caught between a disobedient people and their very angry God. His heart is breaking as he relays the destruction God has planned for His people.

I will bring bereavement and destruction on my people,
for they have not changed their ways.  Jeremiah 15:7

Jeremiah finds himself in a lonely place. He is not to marry or have children because of the disaster that is to come. It’s best that he doesn’t care too much for anyone because everyone is going to suffer. It’s best that he’s not close enough to anyone to mourn their loss, becase no one will be spared. He is not to relax and enjoy life, even for a moment, because there is nothing worth celebrating. It’s not easy being God’s prophet, that’s for sure.

I sat alone because your hand was on me
and you had filled me with indignation.  Jeremiah 15:17

Bur God will not abandon His messenger.

I will make you a wall to this people,
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you
but will not overcome you,
for I am with you
to rescue and save you,’
declares the Lord.  Jeremiah 15:20

There is a new story being written.

‘However, the days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when it will no longer be said, “As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,” but it will be said, “As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.” For I will restore them to the land I gave to their ancestors.  Jeremiah 16:14-15

Same God. Same people. Same deliverance. Different time and place. But for this to happen, the people have to first face exile in a foreign land.

And the reason for this? It’s simple. It’s always been the reason and will always be the reason.

Therefore I will teach them –
this time I will teach them
my power and might.
Then they will know
that my name is the Lord.  Jeremiah 16:21

Here’s a vivid picture of life with and without God. I know which life I would prefer.

‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.

‘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.’  Jeremiah 17:5-8

I always come down pretty hard on people who would use phrases like ‘Be rooted in God’ without ever explaining what they mean in practice. I guess it is never categorically spelled out in precise detail because every single one of us is different and so everyone’s relationship with God is unique. But I’ll try and explain what this means for me right here, right now.

When tough times come, I try not to turn to externals to help me through. I used to comfort eat or seek out a group of friends to comfort me and sympathise with me, but this never really reached down to the deep sorrow inside. Now I try to sit with the pain and show it to God and let Him breathe into it. When I am stressed through the day and feel myself becoming disconnected and uprooted, I take time to breathe. I slow my breath and imagine myself breathing in the spirit of God and breathing out stress and anxiety.

I know from experience that I really don’t know best and I know I have to rely on God’s help to get through every single day. When I wake up in the morning, I plead with God to give me the strength I need to get through. The grace. The love. The patience. The peace. I try not to think ahead and worry about what the future holds. I used to be really good at catastrophising – imagining the worst all the time. It destroyed my present. I have worked hard to believe that God will give me exactly what I need for this moment and the next moment is not worth worrying about right now. When I go to bed at night, I’m grateful that I have got through. That I’m still breathing. That God has been there every step of the way.

I’m grateful for every new day. I don’t take life for granted. I want to make every moment count. I want to make a difference. I want to shine as a star in the dark sky for God. I look for the best in everyone – for the divine in everyone. I don’t try to conform and fit in, but aim to live my life – this precious life that God has given me – to the full.

I don’t put my full trust in anyone, however close to them I am. I know how as humans, we are all so very capable of letting each other down. I put my full trust in God, who has never let anyone down. I trust God, even when I have no idea what is going on. I rejoice in the sunshine and understand that the rain is necessary too. That no one deserves to have it easy all of the time. That hard situations are great opportunities to stand strong in God’s love, rooted in Him.

I trust that God will give me all that I need to do what He has given me to do. I try not to panic about how much there is to do. Or to worry about where the inspiration for the next piece will come from. I believe that everything I have comes from God. It’s not that I’m anything special, I know that. Without God, I am nothing. Literally. Every breath I take comes from God. Every idea. Every inspiration. Every ounce of determination. Every laugh.

I actually do picture myself as a tree rooted in God. I spend time with people who nourish those roots. I spend time sitting quietly in God’s presence with the sun shining on my face. I read the Bible and write about it every day and every day, God gives me some fresh insight that inches my roots deeper into his soil.

I have no idea if that helps. You may look at my life and not see that at all. I hope it gives you a glimpse in some small way of what being rooted in God looks like for you.