“Roots That Cannot Be Dislodged”

AMONG the world’s largest and oldest living things are the sequoia trees of California. These towering marvels stand some 300 feet [90 m] high at maturity and can live upwards of 3,000 years.

Though the sight of a sequoia is awe-inspiring, its unseen root system is equally impressive. The sequoia has a flat mat of roots that may cover an area as large as three or four acres. This huge root system provides solid anchorage in the face of floods or high winds. It is even possible for a sequoia to withstand a powerful earthquake!

King Solomon chose the strong root system of a tree as a metaphor in one of his proverbs. “No man can establish himself by wickedness,” he said, “but good men have roots that cannot be dislodged.” (Proverbs 12:3, The New English Bible) Yes, the wicked are on shaky ground. Any success they seem to achieve is merely temporary, for Jehovah promises that “the very hope of the wicked ones will perish.”​—Proverbs 10:28.

This is a warning for those who profess to be Christians, for Jesus said that some would have “no root” in themselves and would stumble. (Matthew 13:21) Furthermore, the apostle Paul wrote about persons who would be “carried hither and thither by every wind of [false] teaching.” (Ephesians 4:14) How can this be prevented?

Just as the roots of a sequoia spread expansively in the earth’s nourishing soil, so our minds and hearts need to delve expansively into God’s Word and draw from its life-giving waters. This will help us to develop a firmly rooted faith. Of course, we will feel the effects of stormy trials. We may even tremble, like a tree, in the presence of adversity. But if our faith is well grounded, we will prove to have “roots that cannot be dislodged.”​—Compare Hebrews 6:19.