We sat with my 89-year-old dad and mom yesterday and shared thoughts about the recent wildfires, floods, and strange weather patterns. We spoke of the great difficulties in the city of Colorado Springs, brought about by terrible forest fires followed by torrential rains. I remarked to my dad,"the fires came through and completely scorched the land, burning up the trees and grass; then these heavy rain storms came and created terrible mudslides as the land simply gave way."Quietly my dad mused, "Yes, that was because the roots no longer went deep enough to hold."
The thought resonated deeply in my spirit! Isn't this a parable about us in these times where so much is being shaken and tested? The Lord is looking for those whose roots go deep. Matthew 13:3-6: "Behold a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately spraing up becuse they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched and because they had no root they withered away." What is Yeshua speaking about here when He refers to seeds and roots? The disciples wondered also and they asked Him, "Why do you speak in parables?" He answered them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven; but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."
Yeshua is speaking about the Word of God, which we can understand on two levels; first, He IS the Word of God, and secondly, He has given us the Word to study and learn, and cause it to form deep roots within us, that cannot be shaken or washed or withered away. For those who have been earnestly seeking Him through His Word, He will continue to teach them more and more, continually giving them understanding and revelation. For those who have not desired His Word and carelessly tossed it out, what little they ever knew will burn up and be washed away like the trees in Colorado Springs. As my dad said, "The roots no longer went deep enough to hold."
The deep root within us is Messiah. He describes Himself this way in Revelation 22:16, "I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright Morning Star." In this passage Messiah Yeshua speaks to us of His "family tree." His "root" is of the line of David. Do you belong to His family? Are you rooted in Him by faith, a faith deep enough to hold in the difficult times ahead? The Apostle Paul writes, "...I bow my knees to the Father of our Adon Yeshua haMashiach (Lord Jesus Christ) from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His spirit in the innerman, that Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Messiah which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with the fullness of God!" (Ephesians 3:14-19) and "As you therefore have received Messiah Yeshua as Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith." (Colossians 2:6-7)
The seed scattered in the parable is the Word of God - and as it takes root in your heart, watered by prayer and time spent with Him - it forms deep roots established in faith. May these roots be deep enough to hold each of us fast in the times of testing. The fires may come and consume that which is around us; the waters may flow and wash away earthly things - but let us remain rooted and grounded in Yeshua and His Love. He is the Root deep enough to hold!
