Daily Devotional

Stay here and keep watch with me. Matthew 26:38

Sequoia National Park is just a four-hour drive north from where Ken and I live. I feel so small when I sit at the base of one of those towering, ancient trees. Some are over 300 feet tall – the size of a 30-story building. I am told that sequoia trees have relatively shallow root systems for as tall as they are. This is why you don’t see many sequoias standing alone; they stand in groves. The roots of sequoia trees entwine and together the added support prevents winds from uprooting any one tree. Separate and standing apart from the rest, a sequoia wouldn’t last very long – with its shallow roots, it would fall prey to the harsh winds which blow against the Sierra Mountains.

We can learn a lot from those trees. We might look strong, we may seem independent, but any thinking Christian knows he simply can’t survive apart from the body of Christ. When bitter winds of adversity blow, we need the support of each other. God engineered us so that we require the intertwining of genuine give-and-take fellowship. Even Jesus needed this. On the last night of his life when the storms of devilish opposition began howling around him, he asks for help, “Stay here and keep watch with me.” If Jesus sought support in the midst of trials, how much more do we need our brothers and sisters in hard times!

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First Thessalonians 5:11, 14 says, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing…And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” Who is timid? Who is the friend who is weak? Create a “sequoia grove” around that individual today. Think of creative ways you can minister to your neighbor or co-worker who needs support.

Father, keep me from living my life so independently, so separately from others. Show me how I can support those in need around me.