It’s winter in the Cape and there’s a stormy wind blowing out there. The Cape is being true to its name: The Cape of storms. Throughout the night the wind keeps pushing and pulling at the house, although we’re grateful for the rain coming down. We’ll check on the damage tomorrow.

The golf course is looking bad. Lovely tall trees have been blown over. Wow, a strong wind must’ve blown through here. No, the one guy says. The root systems of these trees were simply too weak to keep the heavy trees standing.

He explained that trees need to struggle. When a tree doesn’t get enough water, it pushes its roots deeper and deeper into the earth until they reach water. Then the roots grow thicker to form a thick pipe to transport water to the rest of the tree factory up to the leaves.

The roots have a second purpose. They form the foundation. They stick to the soil. When the winds shake the branches up above, the roots hold onto the ground and the wind has no effect on the ground.

The trees on the golf course had it too easy. They were watered every day. Their roots didn’t have to go looking for water. The roots formed a little bunch just below the surface. And the day when big Mister Wind came rushing in, the foundation was simply too weak, with catastrophic results.

In the world out there, gusts of wind keep pulling at us and if our roots aren’t deeply grounded, then it’s tickets.

Often, we want to throw our toys out of the cot because we’re struggling, but we should know that is the time we need to grow our roots deeper. Then we should know that it’s time for us to dig deeper to look for water, living water. We should realise that this is the time to grow, so that we can grow stronger to withstand the attacks that will most surely come our way.

And how should we grow? ¹O Timothy, my son, be strong with the strength Christ Jesus gives you (TLB).

Our roots must grow deeply in the grace that we receive from God’s hands so undeservedly. We must know that Christ’s grace is a broad stream that flows strongly and will never stop flowing to us who love Him. This grace is immovable and unchanging.

When the winds blow hard and others want to tempt us away, saying that God does not exist, we must keep believing in God’s grace with everything we have. Gill (e-Sword) puts it so well:

To be strong in it, is to preach it boldly, to defend it bravely, and courageously oppose every error and heresy, and every abettor thereof; and it also becomes every believer to hold it fast, stand fast in it, abide by it, and earnestly contend for it …

Our faith must be anchored in Christ. We must hold onto the knowledge that Jesus has died on the cross for us. We must ensure that God’s Word shapes us. We must drink at the Godly well, drink of the heavenly water. Then the storms can come. They won’t blow us over.

Scripture
2 Tim 2:1-7

Reflection
Where do your storms rage?
How firmly are you rooted?
What now?

Prayer
Lord, You are my anchor. Please give me the strength I need to stay strong in the storm. Amen.