Preparing for the Pruning Season: How to Surrender

Every responsible parent, when a child is complaining about behavioral issues of other children, takes the chance to evaluate the situation and address any necessary adjustments in their own child's attitude or behavior first. It is the same with our Heavenly Father. Jesus said: “I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn't bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more.” John 15:1-2 MSG

We are approaching a period of cutting and pruning within the house of God. What may appear as an attack on the church body will actually be a process of "cutting and pruning" to establish the ideal conditions for growth and the harvest of good fruit. 

Individuals who have experienced pruning seasons for some time may feel as though they've already sacrificed everything and cannot endure further cutting and pruning. To make the most of the upcoming pruning season, we can prepare beforehand through prayer, seeking the grace to relinquish what we hold dear above Jesus. Let us permit the Father to prune what is obstructing our growth. 

During a pruning season when I felt I had little left to offer, this poem emerged: 

High praise

“Give me Isaac, your only son, whom you love,” the Lord spoke.

“Who or what is my ‘Isaac’?” I beseeched the Lord. 

Silence was the response, so I knew the Lord wants me to give Him another precious jewel. 

As I was pondering what else to give as an offering, I cried out, “Lord, I already gave you everything; there is nothing else left to hand over. Take me home, I don’t want to live any longer.” His response was unexpected; it was a calling to enter high praise and bring in the offering: an ‘Isaac’; my willingness to remain.

© 2023 Tea Deak. All rights reserved.

Let me pray for you:

Lord, I pray for the reader of this blog post to receive the grace for cutting and pruning. I ask that you assist them in enduring the Fatherly corrections in life. May these experiences lead not to bitterness, but to proper alignment with your son, Jesus. In Jesus' name, I pray.