Years ago, when Dave and I were farming alfalfa, the Lord taught me a life lesson about the Word of God being like a seed planted in good ground.
The Lord showed me that His word will bring that same kind of continual harvest in the life of the believers. It was a real encouragement for me to keep the Word of God planted in my heart and to see harvest after harvest from the goodness of His word.
There have been times over the past 40+ years that I have gone through a dry place and have almost felt withered and dead spiritually. During those times I didn’t see much of a harvest – just brittle, dry stubble with no signs of life. I like the growth times much better and yes, I am the one responsible to keep the Word planted in my heart.
However, in the dry and brittle times, I have learned that the life is still there. It’s in the root.
Sometimes the dry branches have to be pruned back for the health of the plant, but I learned not to prune until water has been applied to the root. Living in the desert as long as we have, we see dead looking plants but as soon as the rain comes, they show signs of life.
Life lesson.
“Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that does not produce fruit. He also trims every branch that produces fruit to prepare it to produce even more. 3 You have already been prepared to produce more fruit by the teaching I have given you. 4 Stay joined to me and I will stay joined to you. No branch can produce fruit alone. It must stay connected to the vine. It is the same with you. You cannot produce fruit alone. You must stay joined to me.” John 15:1-4 ERV
Jesus is the Word and when we abide, stay connected to Him, our lives bear fruit.
I’m glad that I’m not responsible for pruning my life or the life of other believers but it’s the Father, the master gardener, who is responsible to prune our lives. He knows when something is dead and He knows exactly where to cut without causing damage. He also knows when all we need is water, the water of His word, and we will flourish once again.
“I will pour water for thirsty people, and streams will flow through the desert. I will pour my Spirit on your children, and I will bless your family. 4 They will sprout like grass in the spring and grow like trees by streams of water.” Isaiah 44:3 ERV
Are you in a dry place? Let God’s Word water your roots and you’ll begin to flourish once again.