A Prayer to Connect with God in the Woods - Your Daily Prayer - June 7

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A Prayer to Connect with God in the Woods
By: Whitney Hopler 

Bible Reading:
“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” – Jeremiah 17:7-8, NIV

Listen or Read Below:

There’s something about walking in the woods that quiets the noise of this fallen world. As soon as you step onto a forest trail, the busy pace of your life starts to slow down. The sounds of traffic fade away, and so does the pressure of your stressful schedule and responsibilities. Trees tower over you, leaves crunch beneath your shoes, and sunlight filters through the tree branches to scatter across the forest floor. All of that can raise your perspective beyond your to-do list and inspire you to pay attention to your surroundings. In the woods, it becomes easier to notice God’s presence with you than when you’re inside, because creation naturally points to the Creator. 

When you look at the trees around you, you can see that they aren’t running around anxiously or trying to rush to grow. They simply live the way God designed them to live – with confident trust that their Creator will provide what they need.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 says that the person who trusts in the Lord is like a tree planted beside water, sending its roots toward the stream. When the heat comes, that tree doesn’t fear. Its leaves remain green, and even in seasons of drought, it continues to bear fruit. 

In the woods, some trees have grown for generations. Over the years, they’ve faced storms, seasons of dryness, harsh winters, and intense summer heat. Yet they remain standing, strongly rooted in the same place where they began. Trees’ strength comes from their roots. Beneath the soil, an unseen network of roots stretches outward and downward, quietly drawing water and nutrients from the earth. Those roots work constantly, even though no one passing by ever notices them. That hidden connection is what allows the tree to survive even in the harshest conditions.

Trust in God works in much the same way. Most of the time, trust grows quietly beneath the surface of your life. It develops in the everyday moments when you turn your thoughts toward God instead of letting worry take over. It deepens when you bring your concerns to God in prayer instead of trying to carry them alone. It strengthens each time you remind yourself that God’s wisdom reaches far beyond what you can see.

Just like roots slowly pushing through the soil, trust develops over time through steady habits. Walking in the woods can help you remember that truth. Every tree you pass is a living picture of what it looks like to stay connected to a source of life. Those trees don’t control the weather. They can’t stop the wind or make it rain. Their stability comes from just remaining steadily rooted beside the water that sustains them.

God invites you to live with that same kind of connection. Trusting God allows your life to become steady in that same way. You’ll still sometimes face challenging circumstances, but you’ll be able to overcome those challenges because you’ll be rooted in a strong relationship with God.

Whenever you need inspiration, take a walk in the woods. Notice the quiet strength of the trees around you, and how their branches stretch toward the sky with confidence. Picture the tree roots beneath the soil, spreading outward in search of the water. God is inviting you to live with that kind of trust. While you walk, connect with God in prayer, and he will meet you where you are. God serves as your personal guide with every step you take through life, and you can trust him to meet all your needs – just like he does for the trees all around you. 

Let’s Pray:

Dear God, as I walk through these woods, I see the quiet strength of the trees around me. I realize how much I want to trust you as much as they do. They stand steady through storms because their roots reach toward the water. I want my heart to be rooted in you, the Living Water who sustains and renews me.

Teach me to trust you more deeply each day. When worries try to pull my attention away, help me remember that you’re the source of my strength and peace. Grow my faith beneath the surface of my life, the way roots grow beneath the soil. When challenging seasons come, keep my faith steady and my hope alive. Help me draw closer to you regularly, just as trees draw water from streams. As my trust in you grows deeper, let my life become strong and fruitful.

Thank you, God. Amen.

Join the conversation! Share how today’s devotional spoke to you on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Anton Petrus

Whitney Hopler helps people discover God's wonder and experience awe. She is the author of several books, including the nonfiction books Wake Up to Wonder and Wonder Through the Year: A Daily Devotional for Every Year, and the young adult novel Dream Factory. Whitney has served as an editor at leading media organizations, including Crosswalk.com, The Salvation Army USA’s national publications, and Dotdash.com (where she produced a popular channel on angels and miracles). She currently leads the communications work at George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. Connect with Whitney on her website at www.whitneyhopler.com and on her Facebook author page.

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