The Bible says that God is the vinedresser, Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. God prunes us from time to time for healthy growth and increased fruitfulness. But usually we don’t see the pruning coming.
According to Wikipedia, reasons to prune plants include deadwood removal, shaping, improving or sustaining health, and increasing the yield or quality of flowers and fruits.
As in the natural plants need pruning, so do our lives. We can expect our Heavenly Father to prune us so that we may bear much fruit.
It does not mean we put up with everything. There are times when God will clearly show us the next steps. We might have to cut off certain relationships or leave a place and move on.
We can avoid going through tests and trials of our own making and view it as pruning by obeying God’s counsel.
But sometimes we may feel that we have been in a holding pattern for a while. We may want to escape something. We want to see changes. We become impatient and frustrated.
God prunes us for His purposes
It’s not that God wants to make it much harder for us, but He is shaping our character and perspective for what’s ahead.
Tests and trials come our way as part of the pruning process. There are no shortcuts. Good things await us at the end of all testing.
Pruning is uncomfortable, we resist it. The quicker we come to the end of ourselves and yield to God, the better. We will be at peace and His grace will empower us to pass every test and trial.
Growth and maturity come when we rightly respond to God’s dealings. If we resist and have our way, we could find ourselves in a holding pattern for a while.
Joseph had a dream from God. He probably thought things would unfold the way he thought it would. But things went quickly from bad to worse. But in the end what he saw years back in a dream came to pass.
Psalm 105:19 says of Joseph, “Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.”
I’m sure he never expected it to play out this way. He was at the right place at the right time shaped by God to be a blessing to a nation and his family. He fulfilled his destiny.
All things work together for our good. Even the uncomfortable and unpleasant experiences will eventually work in our favor. It’s by faith and patience, we inherit the promises.
Let’s discern our pruning season to yield and respond correctly to God’s intended alignment. When we pass our tests and trials, there are promotion and rewards. He makes everything beautiful in His time and it’s not just we who benefit but others around us as well.
