The Gardener's Way

"...He delights in genuine prayer."

Genuine prayer is all about the heart, a relationship, a pure motive. Having a pure relationship with Jesus takes time, it requires persistence and a searching spirit. We don't get to that place overnight. Just like we don't build a strong friendship with someone we just met; we need to cultivate this relationship for it to grow. We must feed it and water it with true conversation and openness before there is any fruit.

When people use sports analogies to make a point, or to explain a process, they used to lose me. I am not a sports fan, so I just didn't get it. But, I am a gardener and I love getting my hands into the soil, planting a seed and caring for it until there is a beautiful blossom to show for my efforts. Because I love this practice, it makes sense that I would use an analogy depicting this process.

One day at a time is a real gardener's way. No seed will germinate and grow to full potential overnight. It takes many days, weeks even, before the desired results are achieved. The same with prayer, talking to God, building that heavenly relationship. One day at a time. Don't let the soil get dry, water it often. 

When God is speaking and we feel a convicting finger on our hearts, examine this spot, yank up the weed of disobedience or doubt, and continue to fertilize the soil of your heart with more conversation. God loves to watch us grow and thrive. Excuse this analogy if you must, but remember, it all began in a garden a long, long time ago.

Proverbs 15:8

John 15:1-12

Gardening is an art, just ask someone who does not have a green thumb.  While it may be an art, it is also a learned craft and one that takes a lot of work, dedication and loving care.  You might see a neighbor leaning over a flower bed and wonder why his yard produces such beautiful blooms while yours looks too pitiful to point to.  What is the difference?  Could be lots of things, but a couple of the more obvious ones would be water and sunshine and pruning.

Water and sunshine are no brainers, but pruning?  Isn't that cutting some of the plant off and throwing it away?  Ouch, that sounds harsh.

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. (John 15:2)  

Flowers are meant for us to enjoy, to look at and feel blessed with a colorful treat for the eye.  Ask a gardener what his secret to his successful crop is and he might tell you that  we will thin out the bed by plucking up any shoots that do not look promising; those that are not growing and taking the shape they should.

The scripture of the Vine and the Branches is about the Master Gardener, Jesus, and how He wants to teach us how to bear fruit, how to be the best we can be.  We must be close to Him.  

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

John 15:1-12 at Biblegateway.com