0:04 Let us be still and fix our eyes on
0:07 Jesus before we pray.
0:10 In a world that's constantly shifting,
0:13 where circumstances change, emotions
0:15 fluctuate, and everything feels unstable,
0:17 unstable,
0:19 we need to be anchored in something that
0:21 never moves.
0:23 This morning, before we enter into
0:26 prayer, let's meditate on what it means
0:29 to be rooted and grounded in the love of
0:31 Christ, discovering the unshakable
0:34 stability that comes from being firmly
0:37 planted in him.
0:39 There's a prayer in Ephesians that
0:41 captures one of the most essential needs
0:44 of the Christian life.
0:52 So that Christ may dwell in your hearts
0:56 through faith. And I pray that you being
0:59 rooted and established in love may have
1:02 power together with all the Lord's holy
1:05 people to grasp how wide and long and
1:08 high and deep is the love of Christ. and
1:10 to know this love that surpasses
1:12 knowledge that you may be filled to the
1:20 Look at that imagery rooted and established.
1:22 established.
1:24 Those words are intentional. They paint
1:27 a picture of strength and stability.
1:30 A tree with deep roots can stand through
1:33 fierce storms while shallow roots give
1:36 way. A building with a solid foundation
1:38 can survive shaking while anything built
1:41 on sand will collapse.
1:43 In the same way, when your life is
1:45 rooted in Christ and established in
1:48 truth, you can endure whatever comes
1:51 your way.
1:54 Think about how a tree develops roots.
1:57 You can't see the root system. It's all
2:00 underground, hidden from view. But it's
2:02 the most critical part of the tree's
2:05 survival. The roots do three essential
2:08 things. They anchor the tree so it
2:11 doesn't fall. They draw up nutrients and
2:13 water to sustain life. And they store
2:21 Jesus used this imagery in the parable
2:25 of the sewer. Matthew 13:5-6
2:28 describes seed that fell on rocky places
2:31 where it did not have much soil. It
2:33 sprang up quickly because the soil was
2:36 shallow. But when the sun came up, the
2:38 plants were scorched and they withered
2:40 because they had no root. The problem
2:43 wasn't the seed. It was the lack of
2:46 depth. Shallow roots mean instability,
2:49 vulnerability, and ultimately failure to thrive.
2:56 But look at what's described in Psalm 1 2:3.
2:58 2:3.
3:00 but whose delight is in the law of the
3:04 Lord and who meditates on his law day
3:07 and night. That person is like a tree
3:10 planted by streams of water which yields
3:13 its fruit in season and whose leaf does
3:18 not wither. Whatever they do prospers.
3:21 A tree planted by streams of water has
3:24 constant access to what it needs. Its
3:26 roots go deep because there's depth to
3:29 draw from. It doesn't panic in drought
3:31 because it's tapped into a reliable source.
3:37 This is the picture of a believer rooted
3:41 in God's love. You're not dependent on
3:43 emotional highs or favorable
3:46 circumstances for your stability. You're
3:48 drawing from a deep, inexhaustible
3:51 source that flows regardless of what's
3:54 happening on the surface.
3:57 But notice what we're rooted in. Not
4:00 just truth, not just doctrine, not just
4:04 principles, but love, specifically the
4:07 love of Christ. This is crucial because
4:09 love is the soil in which everything
4:12 else grows.
4:17 1 Corinthians 13:2 makes this clear.
4:19 If I have the gift of prophecy and can
4:22 fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
4:24 and if I have a faith that can move
4:26 mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
4:29 nothing.
4:32 You can know all the right theology and
4:34 still lack love, and that leaves you
4:37 empty. You can be doctrinally correct
4:40 and still miss the heart of God. You can
4:42 perform religious duties and look
4:45 spiritual on the outside yet be hollow
4:47 on the inside. But when you are rooted
4:50 in love, when Christ's love becomes your
4:53 foundation and your source, everything changes.
4:54 changes.
4:59 Love is what gives faith life.
5:03 Jeremiah 17:7 to8 describes this beautifully.
5:05 beautifully.
5:07 But blessed is the one who trusts in the
5:11 Lord, whose confidence is in him. They
5:13 will be like a tree planted by the water
5:17 that sends out its roots by the stream.
5:20 It does not fear when heat comes. Its
5:23 leaves are always green. It has no
5:25 worries in a year of drought and never
5:28 fails to bear fruit.
5:31 Notice the confidence, no fear when heat
5:35 comes, no worry in drought. Why? Because
5:37 the roots have gone deep into a source
5:45 Paul prays that we would grasp how wide
5:48 and long and high and deep the love of
5:51 Christ is. This is an acknowledgement
5:52 that Christ's love is literally
6:00 How wide is his love?
6:03 wide enough to include anyone regardless
6:06 of background, past or present condition.
6:08 condition.
6:12 Romans 5:8 declares, "But God
6:14 demonstrates his own love for us in
6:17 this. While we were still sinners,
6:20 Christ died for us."
6:22 His love reached you before you reached
6:29 How long is his love?
6:32 long enough to span from eternity past
6:35 to eternity future.
6:40 Jeremiah 31:3 records God saying, "I
6:43 have loved you with an everlasting love.
6:45 I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
6:47 kindness.
6:50 It didn't begin when you believed, and
6:54 it won't end when you fail."
6:57 How high is his love?
6:59 high enough to lift you from the deepest
7:03 pit and seat you in heavenly places.
7:06 Ephesians 2:4-6
7:08 explains, "But because of his great love
7:12 for us, God who is rich in mercy made us
7:15 alive with Christ even when we were dead
7:17 in transgressions.
7:19 And God raised us up with Christ and
7:21 seated us with him in the heavenly
7:28 How deep is his love?
7:31 Deep enough to reach you in your darkest
7:34 moment, your lowest point, your most
7:36 desperate place.
7:42 Psalm 139: 7 and 8 asks, "Where can I go
7:45 from your spirit? Where can I flee from
7:47 your presence? If I go up to the
7:51 heavens, you are there. If I make my bed
7:55 in the depths, you are there.
7:57 There's nowhere you can fall that his
8:04 When you're rooted in God's love,
8:06 circumstances lose their power to shake
8:10 you. You can face uncertainty, storms,
8:14 and pressure without being undone.
8:18 The disciples learned this in the storm.
8:24 Matthew 8 24- 26 describes the scene.
8:26 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the
8:31 lake but Jesus was sleeping. Then he got
8:34 up and rebuked the winds and the waves
8:37 and it was completely calm.
8:40 Same storm but Jesus had peace because
8:42 his stability was rooted in the father
8:46 not the absence of trouble.
8:49 This is the security love produces.
8:54 Romans 8:38 and 39 declares,
8:56 "For I am convinced that neither death
8:59 nor life nor anything else in all
9:02 creation will be able to separate us
9:04 from the love of God that is in Christ
9:08 Jesus our Lord."
9:10 Deep roots don't grow overnight. They
9:12 develop through consistent connection to
9:16 the source. In the same way, spiritual
9:18 roots grow through regular time with
9:21 God, staying in his word and trusting
9:24 him through every season.
9:28 Colossians 2 6 and 7 instructs,
9:31 "So then, just as you received Christ
9:34 Jesus as Lord, continue to live your
9:37 lives in him, rooted and built up in
9:39 him, strengthened in the faith as you
9:42 were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
9:44 thankfulness.
9:48 This is a process rooted, built up,
9:50 strengthened, overflowing.
9:53 Not a moment, but a life of continual growth.
9:58 When you're rooted in God's love, you
10:01 become unshakable. Not because of your
10:03 strength, but because what you're rooted
10:06 in cannot be moved.
10:11 Hebrews 12 28 says, "Therefore, since we
10:13 are receiving a kingdom that cannot be
10:16 shaken, let us be thankful and so
10:19 worship God acceptably with reverence
10:21 and awe."
10:26 You also become fruitful. John 15:5
10:30 promises, "I am the vine, you are the
10:33 branches. If you remain in me and I in
10:36 you, you will bear much fruit. Apart
10:39 from me, you can do nothing.
10:43 Fruit flows naturally from connection.
10:45 If you're feeling shaken today, hear
10:50 this. It's never too late to go deeper.
10:53 God's love is limitless, and he invites
11:02 Now, let us pray.
11:04 Heavenly Father, I come before you this
11:06 morning recognizing my need for
11:10 stability that only comes from you. Too
11:12 often, I've tried to build my life on
11:16 things that shift, on circumstances, on
11:19 feelings, on other people's opinions, on
11:22 my own abilities. Forgive me for seeking
11:24 security in temporary things instead of
11:29 anchoring myself in your eternal love.
11:31 Thank you for the love of Christ that is
11:33 wide enough to include me, long enough
11:37 to last forever, high enough to lift me,
11:39 and deep enough to reach me wherever I
11:42 am. Thank you that this love isn't based
11:45 on my performance or worthiness, but on
11:48 your character and grace.
11:51 I worship you as the unchanging one, the
11:55 solid rock, the firm foundation. I
11:56 worship you as the source of living
12:00 water that never runs dry. I worship you
12:02 as the love that casts out fear and
12:06 provides perfect security.
12:08 This morning I pray that Christ would
12:11 dwell in my heart through faith. Not
12:13 just visit occasionally but take up
12:16 permanent residence. Let him be at home
12:19 in every room of my heart, every area of
12:24 my life, every thought and desire.
12:26 I ask that I would be rooted and
12:29 established in love. Help my roots to go
12:32 deep into the soil of your love. Let me
12:34 draw constantly from this source, not
12:37 just in moments of crisis, but in every
12:40 ordinary day. Teach me to meditate on
12:42 your love, to remember your
12:44 faithfulness, to rest in your acceptance.
12:46 acceptance.
12:49 Give me power to grasp how wide and long
12:53 and high and deep the love of Christ is.
12:56 My mind can't fully comprehend it, but
12:59 let my heart experience it. Let me know
13:01 in the depths of my being that I am
13:04 loved with an everlasting love. That
13:07 nothing can separate me from this love.
13:09 That this love is my anchor and my foundation.
13:12 foundation.
13:15 Help me to know this love that surpasses
13:17 knowledge. Not just intellectual
13:21 understanding, but experiential knowing.
13:23 Let me encounter your love in ways that
13:26 transform me, that stabilize me, that
13:29 root me so deeply that no storm can
13:31 uproot me.
13:33 I pray that I would be filled to the
13:37 measure of all the fullness of God. Fill
13:40 every empty place with your presence.
13:42 Fill every insecure place with your
13:46 love. Fill every unstable place with
13:48 your peace. Let there be no room for
13:52 fear, anxiety, or instability because
13:55 I'm filled with you.
13:57 Strengthen my roots, Lord, in seasons
14:01 when circumstances are favorable. Let my
14:03 roots grow deeper so I'm prepared for
14:06 harder times. In seasons of drought and
14:09 difficulty, sustain me from the reserves
14:12 stored in my roots. Don't let me be
14:15 shallow. Make me deep in you.
14:18 Where I've been shaken by storms,
14:20 restore my stability. Where I've been
14:23 weakened by shallow living, rebuild my
14:26 foundation. Where I've tried to find
14:29 security in temporary things, redirect
14:32 my heart to what's eternal.
14:35 I declare that I am like a tree planted
14:38 by streams of water. I will yield fruit
14:42 in season. My leaf will not wither.
14:45 Whatever I do will prosper, not because
14:47 of my own strength, but because I'm
14:50 connected to the source of life.
14:54 I choose to trust in the Lord. I choose
14:57 to make you my confidence. I will not
14:59 fear when heat comes. I will not worry
15:02 in times of drought. Why? Because my
15:05 roots have gone deep into your love and
15:08 that source never fails.
15:11 Let this rootedness produce fruit in my
15:14 life. Let it show up in how I handle
15:17 pressure, how I respond to uncertainty,
15:20 how I walk through difficulty. Let
15:22 others see not my strength but your love
15:25 holding me steady.
15:28 Teach me to abide in you continually.
15:30 Help me to remain connected, to stay
15:33 rooted, to keep drawing from your
15:36 presence. Don't let me try to survive on
15:38 yesterday's nourishment. Let me come
15:42 fresh to you each day.
15:45 I commit myself today to being rooted in
15:47 your love rather than tossed by circumstances.
15:49 circumstances.
15:51 I choose your stability over the world's
15:54 chaos. I anchor myself in your
15:56 unchanging character rather than my
16:00 changing feelings. In Jesus' name I
16:06 If this prayer speaks to your heart, say
16:09 amen right now. And if you need God to
16:12 help you develop deeper roots, if you're
16:14 feeling unstable and need to be anchored
16:16 in his love, would you share that in the
16:19 comments? Let's pray for one another as
16:22 we seek to be rooted and grounded in the
16:24 love that never fails.
16:27 Drop your prayer requests below and
16:30 let's encourage each other to go deeper
16:34 in God. May you experience the width,
16:37 length, height, and depth of Christ's
