Rooted in Love, Hidden in Him
What’s hidden beneath is what holds the city above. Rooted in love, grounded in Him.
Ephesians 3:17 BSB — “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love,”
In today’s reflection, A.B. Simpson draws our attention to a simple but instructive image from nature—the mesquite tree. Its strength and usefulness aren’t found in what we see above ground, but in what lies deep beneath. Though the tree’s frame may seem slight or unimpressive, its thick roots tunnel deep into the soil, anchoring it and quietly supplying the raw material for pavements that hold up entire cities. San Antonio, Simpson notes, is built upon these roots—structures laid down not by what the eye admires, but by what the earth hides.
That’s the kind of Christian life Simpson lifts up here. Not flashy. Not always seen. But deeply established in God. It’s the life rooted and grounded in love—the love of Christ—secured through faith. These believers might not catch much earthly attention, but God builds His eternal kingdom on their unseen surrender. Simpson is praying for us to know this kind of life in its fullness—to go deeper, to be carried by the Spirit like a river, and to allow the hidden life of Christ to become our foundation.
Personalized Journal Entry in the Holy Spirit’s Voice Through Scripture
I dwell in you because Christ is in you. By faith, you have received Him—not merely as an influence, but as a living presence. He abides in your heart, and through Him, I have made My home there too. You are not merely trying to love Me—you are rooted and grounded in love itself, because you are in Him, and He is in you.
Your life is not measured by appearances, but by how deeply your roots draw from the riches of grace. I have hidden you in Christ with Me. Your foundation is firm, not because of your striving, but because you are being built up in Him, established in faith as you continue to walk in Him.
You may not always see what I am doing in you, but I am cultivating depth over display. I formed your inner being to be nourished by Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge. As you yield, I fill. As you rest, I build. As you trust, I work. The deep places in you are not empty—they are occupied by My fullness.
Others may look for fruit, but I look for roots. Your rootedness is the assurance of stability when the winds come. You are not shaken, because your life is hidden with Christ in Me. And what I build in secret, I reveal in My time.
— Ephesians 3:17; Colossians 2:6–7; Colossians 3:3; Romans 8:10–11; 1 Corinthians 3:9
My Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that my life is no longer lived from the surface. You have drawn me down into the depths of Your love, not by effort but by grace. I rest in the knowledge that Christ dwells in me by faith, and this union is not fragile—it is eternal. Even when the world sees nothing spectacular, You are anchoring me in something immovable.
I rejoice that I do not need to perform, prove, or parade. You’ve already laid the foundation. You’ve already secured the hidden life. And I trust that, as I continue to draw from Your Spirit within me, You will accomplish all You intend through me—quietly, firmly, deeply. Let the unseen life of Christ continue to shape my steps, just as the roots of the mesquite shape the streets above.
Devotional Credit: Days of Heaven Upon Earth by A.B. Simpson
Photo Credit: Unsplash