by Victoria Heinecke

Remember where your strength comes from.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

Along the southern shores of Lake Superior lies the Pictured Rocks National Seashore. The colorful sandstone cliffs rise above the waters, and over time, erosion has created interesting formations.

One such formation is called Chapel Rock, a tall pillar on which a lone white pine tree stands. It was created during the 1940s, when the rocks between it and the shore collapsed. One of the tree’s roots dangled, exposed between the rock and the shore. One might have expected the tree to die within a few years.

Instead, the tree, estimated at 250 years old, is still thriving. The large root, anchored to the shore, continues to give it life.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”
Matthew 7:24-25 English Standard Version

The root not only sustains the tree; it keeps it connected with the rest of the trees at the shore. It stands out from the other trees, like a lone sentinel along the shoreline. It is a popular landmark with the people who hike and tour the shore.

“on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Matthew 16:18 English Standard Version

The root that sustains us is the conviction that Christ Jesus is the Son of the living God (Matt 16:16), and that by his death and resurrection we have eternal life in him (John 3:16). This faith sustains us throughout the seasons of our lives.

Nourished by the promises of God, and connected to the assembly of believers, we are likewise sustained. We don’t simply survive, we can thrive.

This year has brought much tumult and trial to the world. May the promise of God’s faithfulness to us keep us rooted as we share the reason for our joy.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado