Color Your World
Psalms 63:3, 4 Because experiencing your loyal love is better than life itself my lips will praise you. 63:4 For this reason I will praise you while I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.
My husband loves to play in the dirt! (Smile) at least that is what I tell him all the time. Actually, what I mean is that he loves to work in the yard. I hate to brag, but there are not very many lawns in our neighborhood with grass so green and plush that it looks like velvet. Even our flowers are beautiful! He has worked hard all year to work the ground, test the soil, sew seed, remove the weeds and now even in winter the labor of his hands reveal the result. We had a beautiful pine tree that had been growing in our back yard that I loved. Okay so it was rather crooked, I still enjoyed its beauty. My husband removed that special tree this week and it saddened my heart so much. “But, my love”, he replied, “I’m going to plant something so beautiful that you won’t even miss that ole pine tree!” He even pruned some of the bushes and trees so much that they looked downright pitiful. But to that he said, “If you want to see real beauty in the springtime then we have to cut them back now, you trust me don’t you?”
Watching my husband garden is a real joy, and I trust him completely because I’ve seen those results. As I watched him intensely work, I began to think about our lives spiritually. God works so hard on us; molding and fashioning us into the children that He desires. Often He prunes us and how painful it is at the time. We go through hardships, trials, and disappointments. Maybe losing a job, going through a divorce, trying to understand a troubled teen and we look so pitiful and ugly. We go through many things along this journey, yet in it all God is working the soil of our heart. The pain of pruning comes now, but the fruit comes later. Just like in the vineyard, pruning in our lives is seasonal. But the quantity and quality of the future harvest depends on our submission to the vinedresser now.
Even though the duration, depth, and breadth of pruning seasons will vary, no season lasts indefinitely. A season is coming when you will no longer be under God’s shears. But here’s what we must understand, “A test of faith doesn’t really test anything unless it pushes you past your last test.” So what am I saying? The more we grow, the more our seasons will change. The testing and pruning will be more intense because in our growth it has created more “space” to work with. God is always in control of all that is needed. It’s a New Year but maybe some of you are just like me, right in the middle of a season of major pruning. I have finally learned just like with my ole crooked pine tree that if I’m patient and I allow the Lord to cut down all that would hinder me from being the best I can be, then I will see a result in time that is unspeakable. We will be changed and we will be the better for it.
So be patient, God may be working on you, but you will be alright. Your harvest is about to come and you have no idea just how great it is going to be. Your best days are ahead of you! With God as your vinedresser you will be the envy of all gardens. So prepare to bloom, God is about to color your world!
Dear Father, thank you for your love for us. Thank you that your ways teach us so much and prepare us for the journey and plan that you have established for each of us. I love you so much and I am reminded that each time I go through this season of pruning that there is greater ahead of the pain. Please help my friends reading this devotional today and help them to trust You. Help them to see that even in rough places You can make the path smooth again. I know there are some going through things that are confusing and painful, but You oh Lord, are a faithful father, and you will never leave them alone. I speak peace over them now.
In Jesus Precious Name,
Amen.
Dr. Shelia Isom
High Voltage Devotional
Experiencing Revival
For more from Dr. Sheila Isom and Experiencing Revival, please visit www.drsisom.org
