Isaiah 37:31And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.

Fruits are very often the desired parts of a plant. But there is no fruit without roots! And you know what? The roots ALWAYS come first. Isaiah 11:1 saysAnd there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” This was a prophecy of Jesus’s coming. Yet Jesus didn’t just come out of nothing even though He could! He still had to come from the root God defined – God himself! You can trace the genealogy of Jesus all the way to Adam, and the father of Adam is God – Luke 3:38.

Just as the ‘dirty’ roots come before the ‘pleasant’ fruits so also there is no cross without a crown and no testimony without a test. The cross and the test always come before the crown and the testimony. As a matter of fact, it’s actually the test that gives the testimony its essence; and so does the root. The root sources the nutrients that give the fruit its taste. So, we must learn to start our endeavours as roots.

There are a lot of things we can learn from roots. Here are three points worth considering:

  1. Roots are mostly hidden, and they are happy to remain so. There are many things we do that classify as ‘root work’. These are things we do that people don’t see such as your prayers behind the closet, some study time or some giving that you do without publicity. The Bible says Wisdom is defined in the secret place Psalm 51:3. Roots are in the hidden place. The wisdom that will make our fruits endure are acquired by the roots.
  2. The location of the root determines the location and reach of the plant. We must choose to set our roots in good soil. We must do those things in secret that edify. Then our fruits and stem can grow and reach their full potential.
  3. Roots are not affected by seasons; fruits are! Fruits are seasonal. Many of them shoot up in the spring and die-off in autumn and winter. This is analogous to the fact that opportunities that come our way in life may be seasonal. Sometimes its all rosy and sometimes its not. However, the roots ensure that the stem is healthy and ready when the right opportunity (weather) comes along. The root must be ever-ready and ever-working to keep the plant alive through the winter in readiness for spring and summer. This means we must establish our lives on things that are eternal, so we are ready for those opportunities that will come our way. It also means we are steady and not subject to seasons.

Our God is a Rock of Ages that is an ever-present help in time of need… and in time of plenty. May we learn to develop roots in the things that please God!

Amen!