Rooted in 2023

Several years ago I participated in a retreat designed to help us listen to the whispers of God. We know how to pray and ask for things. But often we forget to stop and wait to find out what God wants to say to us.

One of the speakers encouraged us to picture in our minds a setting we would consider a holy place. It might be a church or a cathedral or a retreat center. Maybe it would be around a campfire, in a beautiful garden, or in a cozy chair in our living room. It was to be a place where we felt safe and comfortable, where we could feel that God was near. As I closed my eyes, a cabin in the woods quietly came to mind. Set in a wooded area near the mountains, I knew a cabin was a place where I could be quiet, safe, and close to God. I might be settled enough to hear him there.

What sacred place might come to your mind?

Next, our speaker asked us to bring that vision out of our minds and into our hands, square it up, and place it right back into the middle of our hearts. That holy place was with us, within our own hearts, the place where Christ dwells.

In Ephesians 3:17, Paul prayed,

out of his glorious riches may he strengthen you

with power through his Spirit in your inner being

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

Christ dwells in my heart through faith. I can meet him there as I might meet a friend in a cabin in the woods, surrounded by beautiful trees, hiking trails, and mountains. These are the places he created and that I love. There, in the quiet, I would be open to talking and listening to the God I love. He would speak through the Bible and through words I have learned from the Bible. The Holy Spirit could enable me to be aware of him as I write, or as I walk through the trees, hear the birds, behold the sunset, or as I notice the gaze of a quiet deer.

Remember the old hymn, This Is My Father’s World?

This is my Father’s world and to my listening ears,

All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.

This is my Father’s world; I rest me in the thought.

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas, his hand the wonders wrought.

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This is my Father’s world; the birds their carols raise;

the morning light the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise.

This is my Father’s world; He shines in all that’s fair;

In the rustling grass, I hear him pass. He speaks to me everywhere.

This hymn sums it up for me.

A few years ago, my husband and I decided to set aside our autumn Sunday afternoons to go hiking. After church and lunch, we drove to a variety of parks (within an hour’s radius of our city) and explored trails through wooded groves, savoring each unique setting, before driving back. This last fall we explored 10 different hiking areas and put in 30.1 miles. But more than that, we wandered in the middle of stately trees with their thick trunks, sturdy branches, and amazingly colorful leaves. We also experienced the hush of natural beauty and God’s loving presence.

Looking back at my photos of those hikes, I found that I often snapped a photo of the trailhead. It was the place where we first stepped into the sacred space that I loved. Here, while walking with my husband and hearing the wooded sounds, I knew that this was God’s place. He was present with a voice as quiet and fresh as the breeze.

When I got home, I could still meet him there, as I visualized the holy place where he dwelt within me.

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Each year, as for the past 12 years, I have chosen a word to come alongside me for the next 365 days. I find that this word is another way for me to listen to what God is saying to me.

This year I have chosen the word ROOTED. It seems to be a natural word for me since we spent time walking through so many rooted trees in the forest. I chose it to remind me that I want my faith to be firmly rooted in God’s word, his love, and his beautiful world.

Looking at Ephesians 3:16-19 I find:

I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

may have the power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ

and to know this love that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

The power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep Christ’s love comes from spending time with the One who is love. It comes from opening my Bible and listening for what he wants to tell me there and then actually living out what I feel he is telling me. Like any relationship, being rooted in love means digging in, nestling down, and letting my roots of faith go deeper so they will grow stronger, bring more nourishment, hold me steady, and enable me to withstand the winds of change. That kind of love also enables me to love others, even when it feels difficult. If two trees of the same species grow next to each other, they may grow or graft together. Those roots come together underground and help each other live. It is a lovely thought that if my roots grow stronger and deeper, in some way, I may be building my comrade’s roots as well. Roots that go deep are roots that enable me to love with patience and kindness.

Last Sunday, on our first winter hike in 2023, we drove over beyond the Wickiup Tree Farm where trails wind up into a forested area. The path was rugged and muddy but we made our way slowly, eager to explore. To create the trail, a swath of land had been cut open, leaving some of the trees on each side with part of their soil cut away. What was left was a clear view of their roots!

They’re not pretty but they are solid!

It’s almost like the tree was “wounded” when the soil was taken away but the roots continued to grow and do their work, even when exposed.

Isn’t that how it is in our lives as well? The hard things of life expose the depth of our roots. Have we spent our time worrying or being afraid? Or have we trusted that God is trustworthy and will not abandon us? Solid roots nourish us to withstand the pressures of hard things. By spending time reading and meditating in the Bible, talking to God, listening to him, and acting on what we know to be right, we can be sure that Christ is developing our root system and forming in us, the ability to receive his love and, in turn, enable us to love him and others.

When I go into the woods with my husband, I step into the created world fashioned by God. That place displays his artistry and beauty given by his love. When I square it up and bring it into my heart, I realize that through his artistry, he is revealing himself and his love. When we quiet ourselves, we can step into that sacred space and listen.

I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

Jeremiah 31:3

That kind of message is worth quieting down for! Being drawn in with love and kindness enables me to reach out to others in the same way. We love because he first loved us.

How do you best hear from God?

Have you chosen a word for 2023? I’d love to know it. I often pray for people using the word they have chosen. I’d love to offer that to you!

Here’s a breath prayer for us today:

Breathe in: May my roots grow strong and deep

Breathe out: into the soil of your great love.