A couple of weeks ago I planted gladiola bulbs and I have been patiently , that's not true actually , I have been waiting very impatiently, for them to show themselves above the soil, but day after day nothing. So, unable to stand it any more I began to dig around and I found the bulbs with lots of roots but no growth upwards and so I consulted online, which is what I should have done before digging them up.
It would seem that these bulbs take their time to put down roots because they eventually grow so tall that in order to remain upright, they need to be deep rooted. That made a lot of sense and not just for gladioli.
I was reminded of that lovely line in Exodus when Moses is leading the Israelites out of Egypt and Pharaoh is about to send his chariots after them. In front is the Red sea and behind are the chariots. The people are terrified and cry out in despair, but Moses answers his people saying "Do not be afraid, stand firm...the Lord will fight for you; you need only be still."
What sort of depth of faith did it take for Moses to be able to answer that way. For him to trust so fully that he was able to hand it all over to God and simply stand still, how deep were his roots that he he could remain upright?
There are many times in our lives when we seem to be on the brink of disaster, when chaos surrounds us , when we feel embattled, when its hard to know what to do. When my bulbs finally emerge and stand tall through wind and rain (and the dog) I will remember these words, that when our roots go deep enough, when we learn to trust God, then we need only stand still in the midst of the storm and he will do the rest.
"Do not be afraid stand firm...the Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14 vs 14
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