Staying rooted in Christ

Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:7)

I’ve always had unwavering faith. I trust that God knows what’s best for me, and He will provide what I need in His time. I know that. I believe that. Nothing could ever shake my belief in Him. In fact, I always end my petitions to God with, ”Nevertheless, Your will be done, Lord. Show me Your will.”

Recently, however, I started questioning my understanding of the expectations of faith. My fealty is steadfast, but might I be asking too much? What if I’m hoping for the impossible? Is it arrogant to ask God for something and then say I have the faith to believe God can grant it to me just because I asked? Is it sacrilege to pray for the best while preparing for the worst?

Perhaps my confusion was generated when a friend assured me that my prayers had “already been answered. God has everything in place,” she said, “and He will reveal everything to you, in His time.” 

A part of me was taken aback at that counsel, assuring as it was, as I know in my heart that God may very well say, “No” to my prayers. 

Over the past few months, while petitioning God, I’ve prayed with a passion, with tears streaming down my face. I’ve prayed prostrate on my bedroom floor, in my bed in the middle of the night, in my car, while cutting the grass, and anytime I’ve felt compelled to do so. I’ve asked God, over and over again, to hear my prayers and make His way known to me. I always end by asking Him to show me what He would have me do. More than anything, I want to serve Him and shelter beneath His peaceful arms.

But here was my friend, telling me that God had already worked everything out for me. “He’s got this under control,” she said. “Everything will be revealed in time.” While I may have misinterpreted her meaning, she seemed to be saying that I would receive what I was praying for – and I don’t know that to be true. 

The more that I pondered this idea, the more confused I became. I can’t “name it and claim it,” as prosperity gospel preaches. God’s will doesn’t work that way. 

But was my lack of believing that God would grant me my petition evidencing a lack of faith? Heaven forbid! 

God’s word reminds us to place our faith and trust in Him. In fact, not doing so may invoke His displeasure. “And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6) 

And what about this? “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

During a recent conversation with my brother, I expressed my uncertainty. Is my allowance for God’s possible “No” prohibiting me from hearing a “Yes”? My mind reeled at the implications. Perhaps I was praying all wrong. Maybe I wasn’t demonstrating enough faith. 

“You have to pray hard, yes, but you also have to trust that God will do what is best,” my brother affirmed. “You have to ask Him for His will.”

“Yes. I know that’s true,” I replied, “I just needed to hear it out loud again.” How reassuring to hear my own convictions echoed in the sage wisdom of my brother.

While preparing for work the next day, I pulled out a silver locket I hadn’t worn in quite some time. The chain was tarnished, but the cross on the front was as bright as ever.

Opening it, I smiled to rediscover three tiny mustard seeds I had placed inside, years ago. The sight immediately reminded me of Matthew 17:20 and God’s promise that nothing is impossible in Him. Just as my brother’s words did, seeing these seeds sent the perfect message of reassurance at precisely the time when I needed it.

The devil delights in planting doubt in our minds. If he can make us question our beliefs, he can introduce fear, anxiety, and stress in their place. All these things take our focus off our Savior, who has everything under control. 

While the devil’s weapon of doubt may occasionally threaten to overshadow my mustard seed faith, I remain rooted in Christ, and those roots run deep. Rivers of fear, floodwaters of discouragement, and tidal waves of disappointment may threaten to expose my roots and wash me away at times, but my faith is founded in the enduring certainty that “God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) Nothing can uproot that anchor.

And so my greatest prayer has been answered. God has replaced my uncertainty with a newly fortified sense of peace. I trust my Savior, and my confidence will remain in Him no matter how He answers my prayers. My faith, after all, doesn’t reside in the belief that I will always get what I ask for, but rather in knowing that my Heavenly Father will always give me what He knows I need.

Even if the mountains never move, I can still say, It is well with my soul, for I am rooted in Christ.