Fingers dig in dirt, nails catching bits of earth and scattering worms.

Roughly, with quick and precise movements, You snag weeds away from my growing root base. Weeds of fear, of anxiety about the future, of doubt. These I know exist and need to be taken. But You also find weeds of idolatry and of misplaced hope, and these hurt a little more as they are ripped from their interwoven-ness in my own growth.

Lord, this year, I want to focus on being rooted in You. I want to find myself established and firm in good soil, holding fast even as winds and storms tangle my branches. Seasons change and with them, so does the appearance of the tree. Yet the roots can remain healthy and deep, promising new life in turn.

I confess I have too closely connected with weeds lately.

I have listened to their whispers, allowed them to plant themselves too close to my own growth, and I now recognize them for what they are: false and dangerous, lies seeking to inhibit my own health.

I pray that You would regularly weed this soil, continually remove the lies I have given in to and nourish my soul with the truth of Your Word. Cultivate my surroundings. Keep me thirsty for the nutrients only You can provide.

Oh Lord, no matter what lies ahead, I want to cling to You the way my roots snag dirt. Whether ahead lies a wet and sunny spring or a cloudy, extended winter, I trust that You know what I need to grow. You can do the work of bearing fruit in me; may I simply surrender to Your sovereignty.

You, Who controls the wind and the waves and the storms, can control the health of the tree, despite what’s going on around it.

You, Who controls the universe, can be trusted with my future.

So I pray that, no matter what lies ahead in 2016, You would root me more deeply in Yourself, so that I may grow and flourish because of Your care.