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"For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters,
and that spreadeth out her roots by the river..."
Jeremiah 17:8
The Bible has a lot to say about our roots. Roots are what form the foundation of our life. Revelation chapter twenty-two calls Jesus, "the root and the offspring of David" (Rev. 22:16). There are many things we can be rooted in, but the most important thing and what really counts in life, is our being rooted in Christ. Roots are part of the understructure - the sub-working that people can't see. It deals with those things that lie beneath the surface.
In the natural, roots serve two primary functions. They provide an anchoring system so that when the storms come and the winds begin to blow, a tree can remain attached to the earth. It is the foundation and enablement for a tree to remain fixed, unshaken by adversity. The second thing it does is it provides nourishment. Roots draw from the nutrients in the soil so that a tree can grow and flourish, even in harsh conditions. We are living in a time where the spiritual root system of our lives will determine both: how we are anchored, and whether the things we are anchored to can provide the strength and nourishment we need; whether it has to do with enduring hardships or the ability to thrive under pressure.
Jesus gave a parable of the sower and the seed. He spoke of the seed that fell upon stony ground. "And these are thy likewise, which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and HAVE NO ROOT in themselves and so endure but for a time; afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended" (Mark 4 :16-17). Notice, it was the condition of its roots that determined how it responded to adversity. Who you are, where you came from, and what you are tied to spiritually, all centers upon your spiritual roots. If you aren't rooted and grounded in the word, then how are you are going to overcome afflictions and persecutions when they come against you? How are you going to be able to withstand in the evil day? Paul's admonition was "to stand and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore..." (Eph 6:13).
If you have ever witnessed the results of a hurricane or tornado, you learn very quickly how easy things can be destroyed. You also learn to appreciate the strength of some of those aged oak trees, how they wind up unscathed, still able to stand after enduring such battering winds and devastating circumstances. The Bible tells us that Jesus came "...to give us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that we might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified" (Isa. 61:3). That means as a tree of righteousness, we must have our roots planted in the type of soil that will nourish a righteous life - a soil that will enable us to build a strong root system so that we can endure anything without weakening!
I find it very fascinating that the revelation of redemption was wrought underground! David said, "My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth" (Psa. 139:15). This is a prophetic announcement of Jesus fashioning his body and its members while he was in the heart of the earth. In other words, the very roots of Christianity are tied to a supernatural sub-working of heaven that took place underground. Ephesians four says, "Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things" (Eph 4:9). Literally, it should read, "that he might FULFILL all things." What better soil can there be to develop our roots; to realize that our salvation was planted in the work of righteousness!
Jesus said, "Out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). Just as Jonah was three days and nights in the belly of the fish, Jesus was three days and three nights in the belly of the earth. Belly, is a word symbolically used to describe the hidden part of man, that which we would describe as our spirit. But here, it is also representative of the lowest parts of the earth where the roots were formed to make us the planting of the Lord.
Consider this thought: Redemption was a work done in the belly of the earth to not only establish the spiritual roots of our faith, but as a result of that work, it now become the means whereby we can spread our roots out by the river of God - drawing from its supply and being refreshed with its living water.
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