The Pruning - Praise & Pray (for others) May 17, 2022

There was a point in my life when I tended to roses. I'd bought them in a pot from my local hardware store and over a few years, I'd turned a small plant into a thriving bush that produced more roses than I knew what to do with. I'd spend time plucking pests off, washing it down with concoctions, feeding it things to ensure it grew healthily. At a certain point each year, I'd bring out my shears and snip off parts of the plant. To be honest, it hurt to do it especially while new buds sprouted. That was the approach experienced gardeners recommended but it made no sense! Why cut back a plant just as it's starting to grow and in some cases, thrive? Alas, I learned that was the only way to ensure that each successive rose season ended with even more robust flowers and a bush that could carry their weight successfully.

We hate to hear it, but God does the same thing with us. Just as you feel like you've got your feet stable in your walk with the Lord, He sets out to prune you. Suddenly, what seemed easy might be harder. What should be normal, requires more effort. And you cry out, "Why, Lord? Did I do something wrong?"

Consider John 15:1-2 - “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

It's possible you made a mistake somewhere that must be remedied. You might have slacked off on daily time spent with His word and in worship. Or, possibly committed a sin you are yet to repent for and continue to return to like a dog to its vomit (Proverbs 26:11). In that case, careful self analysis based on the Lord's scripture will help you determine whether you're being cut off or being pruned.

In the event the Lord is pruning you, then He's preparing you to carry more weight and be more robust in your service to Him during the upcoming season. Therefore, God's pruning may be because He expects you to come up higher, to no longer rely on the way you used to do things but to receive and accept the new ways He wants you to honor Him.

And why would any of this be necessary? 1 Peter 5:8 gives us a clue as it states, "...the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." The enemy has figured out the way you do things and has found a way or will find a way to interfere with how you serve and honor the Lord. When God prunes, He forces you to switch it up and not simply rest on your laurels. The pruning season teaches you different ways to pray, to praise, to tarry before the Lord. It teaches you a dogged resilience that you wouldn't get if you didn't feel that sharp pinch from God's gardening shears.

If you have been fruitful for the Lord, expect to be pruned. He does it so you continue to produce. As much as the pruning process is uncomfortable, realize that it is a good sign and part of the way the good Lord works to empower and strengthen His servants. Let God prune you. You'll be better off for it all in the end. Submit to His will and receive that snip. Job 22:21-22 - Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you. Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart. May we obey, be pruned, and be blessed, IJMN, Amen.

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