A Planting of the Lord

“In their [His] righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for His own glory.” Isaiah 60:21
"They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor." Isaiah 61:3

The dawn found me sitting alone in my morning room, having my devotional time, when I noticed a beautiful yellow hibiscus bud that began to bloom right before my eyes literally, it was amazing and as I watched it, I heard the voice of the Father, speak to me, telling me that He was going to make my life like that beautiful bud, that it would bloom and the beauty of it would bring Him glory and I really believe that word is for each of you as well!

YOU are a planting of the Lord, He planted you as a seed within the womb of your mother, He fearfully and wonderfully made you. He brought the jubilant, soaking days of spring, the nourishing sunshine for summertime growth, He ushered in the cool breezes that brought with them the winds of change, like autumn days and yes, He also allowed the bitter winds of winter to assault your unsuspecting life. But through it all, He is there; being ever watchful to allow only those circumstances that would bring eventual good to your life.

 I know that there have been seasons of dormancy and pruning that have been dry and painful; times when your way felt solitary and His gentle voice seemed silent; but throw aside the temptation to question His dealings in your life. From His vantage point, He sees clearly all the brilliant vistas that are yet to come for you; things that you have not seen or even dreamed of, but they lie safely tucked in the heart of your Father and He is ever moving you toward them!

Oh trust in the sure hand of the Master Gardener, who brings exactly what you need! If you are wilted and suffering the effects of past choices, He can come in and bring a time of refreshing, if you are in need of a shot of fertilizer to boost your fruit production; He can bring the divine supplements found in His holy Word.

And if you are already bearing luscious fruit then He may indeed bring the pruning shears. Thankfully, He knows exactly when and how much to prune to bring the most prolific results! And since pruning is all about future growth and more fruit bearing capability; a bountiful harvest is surely coming!

And when our heart is reeling from the clip of the pruning shears, we can take comfort in the knowledge that the Gardener is never closer to the plant than when He is pruning it! You can water and even fertilize from a distance-but during a pruning season; His eye never shifts from us and His skilled hands never leave us and ALWAYS, He prunes in hope of the coming harvest and ever we abide under His shadow in those shearing moments!

And because He not only fully knows His plants; but loves and cherishes them, so He always brings exactly what they need at the very best moment. He is rarely early, but He’s never late either!

So know that no matter where you find yourself, no matter what the situations of your life look like; the Master Gardener has a plan! So the future is filled with tender promise and there are incredible buds on YOU and in YOU; the beautiful plantings of the Lord!

 Papa, We long for our life’s journey to bring You honor, please help us make the right choices to do that better. We yield our lives afresh to the skilled hands of You; our Master Gardener. We choose to trust that You have a perfect plan for our lives and will with that plan, bring whatever we need to bloom profusely for You. Amen