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The word planted in you suggests a metaphor from horticulture. Consonant with this is the fact that the words translated “the evil that is so prevalent” may refer to tangled undergrowth. James is painting a picture of the Lord’s garden which the husbandman must keep. He must clear away the tangled undergrowth and a variety of noxious plants (moral filth). The robust growth that follows will exhibit the righteous life that God desires and will issue in salvation.
The word translated “humbly” has within it a certain nuance that suggests submissive restraint, “that self-subduing gentleness which is among the fruits of the Spirit” (Adamson, 81). In applying the metaphor, James directs that restraint be used in the area of speech and anger. How strong the impulse is to react to provocations with hurting words and fiery anger. On the other hand, listening and sorting out what one hears provides ingredients for cultivating the implanted word.