The Garden Series: Growing Where God Plants You

 

Session 2: The Quiet Work of Roots

Based on Colossians 2:6–7 and Jeremiah 17:7–8

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I. The Hidden Foundation

Roots are quiet teachers.
They do not rush, they do not compete for attention, and they do not seek the light too soon.
Their strength comes from staying hidden long enough to grow deep.

Paul wrote,

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:6–7)

The strength of a tree is never in its branches first.
It begins below the surface, in the unseen places of trust.
Faith works the same way. What seems invisible today is what will sustain you tomorrow.

Henri Nouwen said,

“We are called to be fruitful, not successful, not productive, not accomplished.
Success comes from strength, stress, and human effort.
Fruitfulness comes from vulnerability and the admission of our own weakness.”

Roots grow best in humility.
They reach downward before anything can grow upward.

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II. The Silence Beneath the Surface

The root’s work is slow and sacred.
It thrives in the dark, drawing nourishment from what others overlook.
The same Spirit who planted your life in faith is now deepening it through silence, waiting, and perseverance.

Jeremiah wrote,

“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.” (Jeremiah 17:7–8)

You cannot hear the sound of roots growing, yet without them, there would be no tree.
So it is with the soul.

Henri Nouwen wrote,

“Solitude is not a private therapeutic place. It is the place of conversion, the place where the old self dies and the new self is born.”

In silence and solitude, roots take hold.
God invites us beneath the surface of activity into the place of quiet dependence,
where growth is no longer measured by what is visible but by what is real.

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III. The Depth That Holds in Storms

A tree with shallow roots may flourish for a season, but it cannot endure when the winds rise.
It topples easily because its life has stayed near the surface.
Deep roots, though unseen, are the reason some trees remain standing when others fall.

Jesus said,

“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24)

To live rooted in Christ is to build your stability on the unchanging love of God.
It means learning to draw strength from stillness and to return daily to the Source that does not run dry.

Henri Nouwen said,

“The great challenge is living your wounds through instead of thinking them through.
It is better to cry than to worry, better to feel your wounds deeply than to understand them.”

When you bring your pain, uncertainty, and weariness into His presence rather than trying to fix them yourself, you allow your spiritual roots to grow deeper into grace.
In time, what once felt fragile becomes firm.

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IV. The Invitation

Roots remind us that God values what is hidden more than what is hurried.
He calls us downward before He calls us outward.
The deeper the roots, the stronger the branches.

Growth that lasts begins with stillness.
Fruitfulness begins with depth.

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” (Psalm 37:7)

In the quiet work of roots, God is establishing your strength for the seasons ahead.
You are being anchored in love that will not fail.

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Nurturing the Quiet Work of Roots This Week

1. Choose silence once a day.
   Sit quietly for five minutes with no agenda.
   Picture your soul drawing nourishment from God’s presence.

2. Notice where you feel rushed.
   Slow down one daily routine.
   Ask God to make it a place of rootedness instead of performance.

3. Read Scripture slowly.
   Spend the week with Colossians 2:6–7.
   Read it morning and evening, letting it take root in your heart.

4. Practice hidden kindness.
   Do one loving act this week without anyone knowing.
   Hidden goodness strengthens unseen roots.

5. Pray for depth.

   “Lord, deepen my roots in You.
   Help me find strength in stillness and grace in surrender.
   May my hidden life with You bear fruit that endures.”