“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you” John 15:1-3
Dear People Who Keep Company with God,
Life is full of different seasons. There are growing seasons where God’s favor seems to flow like a mighty river in your life. Much of what you touch and do works and works well. You feel like you are on top of your game. Opportunities abound. You experience acceleration into your purpose. Your dreams are coming true.
There are also pruning seasons where it seems like everything is being cut back and some things even removed. The river of blessings and favor slows to a trickle and appears to dry up. What once worked so well has no life in it. In those times, it feels like God has abandoned you. It seems like you are taking steps backward. There can be a loss of finances, relationships, opportunity, spiritual momentum and dreams.
It is so easy to be disappointed, discouraged and even become bitter during the pruning process. We don’t understand what is going on or why it is happening. We ask questions such as, “What did I do wrong?” or “Why is God letting this happen to me?” Even if God told us what He was doing, I am not sure it would do much good. Could it be His silence is part of the pruning?
The pruning season is never meant to dishearten you. We are not pruned as a discipline, but rather as a reward for being fruitful. In the heat of the moment it doesn’t seem rewarding, but if we don’t experience pruning, we will eventually stop growing and bearing fruit. God prunes us so we can be even more fruitful and blessed. Sometimes, the worst of things are meant to position us for the best that is ahead.
I ran into a friend that I haven’t seen in a few years. The last time we were together, I was riding high on the river of God’s blessings and favor. He asked me how I was doing. I told him I had gone through a challenging time, but I was good now. He looked me in the eyes and said, “You have been pruned!” It was one of those ‘Aha’ moments. Life and the things I had experienced during the pruning began to make more sense.
How does God prune us? Jesus told the disciples that they were pruned already as a result of “The word I have spoken to you.” We know from experience that words prune us, words that challenge us, warn us and correct us. Jesus’ pruning word may come in the words of other people, or the Holy Spirit may speak directly to your heart. There are times that He speaks through challenging situations and circumstance of life.
Jesus asks us to see the pruning within the bigger picture of our lives. It is God the Father who does the pruning. He knows what he is doing; His pruning may be painful, but is never destructive. Jesus wants us to trust Him and His love, care and good intentions for us. He never takes away anything unless He establishes something even better in its place.
Many Blessings, BW