My husband has become a gardening hobbyist. With the help of YouTube videos, he’s created a vegetable garden to continually nurture. Now that new plants are in the ground, they’re constantly on his mind as he’s begun a routine of watering, composting, and watching each little plant. He’s done much to protect them from danger, drought, too much heat, critters. As they’ve started to grow, he recently placed stakes and cages to support each tender plant, to guide them into flourishing. He cares for them, delighting in learning the ways of vine care. You might even say he loves them (well, maybe that’s going a little far, but it seems like it)!
Those vining tomato plants? He’s learned they grow suckers, wild shoots that bush out of control like our hair in humidity. The plants will bear less fruit if he doesn’t take care of them. My husband watches carefully so he can prune the suckers off, also watching for blemished or dead parts that need to be cut off. He is an imperfect gardener, but he’s learned that this pruning is essential for bearing fruit. In the case of grape vines described in the Bible, experts say they won’t grow fruit at all unless the gardener carefully prunes the branches.
Pruning is an act of caring, fostering growth of beautiful, healthy fruit.
Who’s caring for us as we suffer, as if we were vining plants, beloved in Christ? Our infinitely wise and perfectly good gardener, our vinedresser who cares for us with the deepest love for us as His children, our Father. Hear our beloved Jesus say:
I am the vine; you are the branches (Jn. 15:5).
Be not dismayed whate’er betide,
God will take care of you;
beneath his wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.
(“God Will Take Care of You,” Martin, C. D., 1904)
God takes care of you in pruning
Through days of toil when heart doth fail,
God will take care of you;
when dangers fierce your path assail,
God will take care of you.
God’s promises to produce fruit through this suffering
Filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (Phil. 1:11 ESV).
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal. 5:22-23 ESV).
All you may need he will provide,
God will take care of you;
trust him and you will be satisfied,
God will take care of you.
God’s promises in His Word…abundant care for you
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you (Ps. 55:22a ESV).
It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you (Deut. 31:8 ESV).
The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms (Deut. 33:27 ESV).
As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame, he remembers that we are dust (Ps. 103:13-14 ESV).
But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one (2 Thess. 3:3 ESV).
Our faithful, loving Father is caring for us in His perfect ways, compassionately pruning and guiding us to bear fruit in this suffering.
We can lean on and trust God’s care.
We can lean on God’s promises! These are just a handful of His blessed promises given to us in His Word!
Dear one, during this suffering, let’s abide, remain, and stay close to Jesus Christ through the Spirit’s illumination of His Word (Jn. 15:4), resting in our Father’s perfect vine care, as a perfect gardener.
No matter what may be the test,
God will take care of you;
lean, weary one, upon his breast,
God will take care of you.
God will take care of you,
through ev’ry day, o’er all the way;
he will take care of you,
God will take care of you.
A playlist of God’s promises
Would it help you to sing songs of His promises? Songs of His care for you? Based in my professional music work, I’m creating weekly YouTube playlists of Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. This week’s playlist helps us sing God’s promises, singing of His sanctifying and special care for us as those who are in Christ, as we walk through a journey of suffering. If this would be a blessing to you, I’d love to send it to you as a gift. I pray that singing His promises will be a balm to your soul, dear reader.
