by Dr. Mel Tavares @drmeltavares
Have you ever sat in the summer shade of the mighty oaks lining the riverbank? I once sat sipping my coffee and listening to the babbling of rapids and considered the deep roots of the strong oak trees I was sitting under.
Being well-acquainted with the ways of this particular river, I reflected on the number of times waters had flooded this section of the land, yet the mighty oaks remain standing. I considered how many years the drought has dried up much vegetation, including trees with shallow roots. Yet, the mighty oaks remain green and acorns are forming.
Storms rage through this part of the state and often result in the uprooting of many trees, but not the mighty oak. Multiple heatwaves have not suffocated the mighty oaks, for their roots are deep into the soil of the river banks and perhaps extend out into the deep of the river bed itself.
Develop Deep Roots
The mighty oak trees have stood strong through the decades. Can we say the same? Are our roots deep, deep into the soil of the Lord? Or, do we begin to wither when the heat gets turned up in our lives? Do we withstand storms that will surely come, or do we exit the storms tattered and torn?
Do Not Fear
Do we fear the future, or do we trust that we will continue bearing fruit during the drought and hard times we are seeing in this world? The answer is to learn from the mighty oak and plant ourselves by the Living Water and allow our roots to go deep and deeper still.
Jeremiah 17:8 (ESV) “He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Prayer: Father, I ask that you teach me to sit and drink of the Living Water, that I may grow in strength, as a mighty oak of righteousness, fearing nothing and bearing much fruit; even during the storms of life that are sure to come.
First Published by the Author in Lessons From The River, (C) 2021. The 30-Day Devotional can be purchased at https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-River-30-Day-Devotional/dp/B0915Q8VVP/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=lessons+from+the+river&qid=1617753973&sr=8-1