During times of great trial I often find comfort reading through the Psalms. Many of them of course are written by David in times of great distress, great victory, and everywhere in between. As I read I can’t help but notice that no matter what David is facing, there is a steadfast trust and faith in the Lord weaved throughout his words. It’s this deeply rooted trust and faith in God and His promises that keep him grounded in extremely tough times. Oh, certainly there are lapses in faith, words of desperation, and times where David feels as though God had completely forgotten him. This is what makes his words so real and relatable to us; inevitably he always comes back to God’s sovereignty and complete control over his situation.
Consider the emotional roller coaster that the Psalms take us through and you will find really quickly that your life often looks the same way. One moment we are celebrating a great victory and the next we are in complete despair. This is where making sure your faith is rooted in the right place comes into play. You see David faced the same temptation that you and I do, and that’s to root his faith in what he could physically see and feel instead of the Lord. The mindset goes a lot like this: Everything looks like its falling apart; everything feels like its falling apart; therefore everything must be falling apart and I’m doomed! We are all guilty of falling into this trap. The problem with coming to this type of conclusion is that we have misplaced where our faith should be rooted. Our circumstances and feelings are always changing; therefore if we are rooting our faith on what we can physically see and feel, our faith will change and fluctuate leaving us frustrated and full of anxiety.
Hebrews 13:8 says that, “Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” He never changes, is always good, and is always in complete control. In Him, is where you want to drive your roots deep. Circumstances change; He doesn’t. Feelings change; He doesn’t. So we keep our faith rooted in Christ and His promises to us. The waves of life can beat against us and the winds can blow hard, but our roots are driven into the immovable One; therefore you too become immovable. In Acts 20 the apostle Paul was headed to Jerusalem and the Lord warned him that he was going to be arrested and face tremendous hardship when he got there. Paul confidently replied in verse 24, “but none of these things move me.” Then he pressed forward and walked through the trial. How could Paul so confidently continue forward knowing full well he was walking into a storm? His faith was rooted in the unchangeable One! He knew that no matter what lies ahead though very difficult, everything was going to be ok. That type of confidence can only come from a deep faith and trust in who God is, and in what He reveals to us about Himself.
It’s interesting that a deep rooted healthy oak tree actually gets stronger in a storm. The harder the wind, the thicker the roots become. The tougher the elements and rain, the stronger the rugged fibers of the tree grow. When you are rooted in Christ the storms will actually make you stronger and even more immovable. Our community has been hit by the 3rd biggest hurricane in recorded U.S. history. Category 5 Hurricane Michael ravaged our area and many are still trying to recover more than a year later. From now on every time you drive by trees that remain standing in the midst of hundreds of other trees completely destroyed, let them be a reminder to you to keep your faith rooted deeply in Christ so you too become immovable! Remember what Paul said in 2nd Corinthians 4:8-9 concerning the person in Christ, “We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” So stay rooted in Jesus and His word of truth to you; like Paul walk into your future with confidence that everything is going to be ok!
So consider today where your faith is rooted. If its anywhere but Christ, that emotional roller coaster is going to take you for a crazy ride! Everything in life changes except for Him and His truth. So when things get hard, don’t replace what you do know with what you don’t know. It’s a major trap of the enemy to get us caught up and side tracked with all the unknowns; before we know it despair has overtaken us. Listen Christian, always stand firm on what you know when things don’t make sense. No matter how hard things get you are loved unconditionally; you are forgiven completely; He is with you and will never leave or forsake you; He is good; His plans and timing are always perfect; He has a great hope and future for you; He is strong, He is able; and He is in complete control of your situation. That never changes!
Pastor Anthony