Rooted in Prayer #79

Prov 12:12

...but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.

The secret of becoming a fruitful tree is found in its roots. Mature trees become self- sufficient by relying on its root-system that assimilates water found deep in the earth. The deeper the roots go into the earth the more stable and fruitful the tree becomes. The taller the tree, the deeper its roots have to penetrate. This makes it capable of weathering storms and enduring times of drought.

There are trees that have insufficient amount of roots, making it difficult for the tree to support themselves. Their roots are incapable of penetrating through the ground, causing a deficiency in their nutritional intake. These trees have the appearance of being strong, however they are malnourished, weak and frail. This produces instability and bareness and in stormy weather they often fall under the pressure of the wind. Their fruits are far between and few in number. The lack of watering causes the fruits to be undesirable and in the process of time they wither away, because it lacked moisture. In order for the tree to survive the root must find the source of its sustenance by going deeper into the earth.

The Scriptures often compare our Christianity to trees: they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD. We present ourselves as mighty trees for God with unmovable faith, mighty warriors filled with spiritual wisdom, however this may be far from the truth. What we call ourselves is irrelevant to the truth of who we really are. The truth of who we are is clearly manifested when we are alone before God and not when we are surrounded by people we are trying to impress.

God refers to us as trees of righteousness, therefore our roots must be our prayer life and the sustenance that we seek is God. God is the source of all that we will ever need to bear fruits of righteousness. Roots are underneath the ground and never seen, therefore our secret prayer-life should be the same way. When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Bearing fruits of righteousness is a direct result of having a consecrated prayer life with God. Our fruits of righteousness are outward expressions of an inward connection with the Almighty.

The deeper our roots penetrate through prayer, the greater our commitment and stability will have in God. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. In the midst of our difficult times, our roots will become the anchor that holds us steadfast in God until we weather the storm. Trials and tribulation will come like the wind against us, some branches may be broken off and leaves may be blown away, however, we will remain because our solid foundation is God.

Our existence is dependent on finding the living waters of God through relentless efforts in prayer. God is our righteousness and it is His living waters which makes us fruitful. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Luke 8:6, Is 61:3, Mat 6:6, Ps 46:1, Ps 1:3

KJV