The planting of the Lord…

God’s been speaking to me about vines in prophetic pictures so I’ve been doing some studying a bit on how vineyards are made and maintained. Pretty fascinating how NOT beautiful they look (this pic above is a vineyard in Florida). It’s basically a rooted tethered plant that grows buds all over by design. And surprisingly right here in this pic the wines are alive…even though they look very dead.

Part of the process to produce wine is, the vinedresser has to prune the buds that aren’t growing in the right direction. To produce the BEST vines that will produce the BEST grapes, to make the BEST wine. Pretty interesting in light of the scriptures God’s been illuminating to me.

John 15: 4-5 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Proverbs 31:16 “She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.”

Isaiah 61:3 “That they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

I’m not a farmer or vineyard owner but wow do these images and processes stir something in me. The work that needs to be orchestrated and the hands the that need to do it—to produce the BEST wine. It totally clicks in my mind this process of producing a life that bears good fruit. The partnering with vinedresser (God) and the maturing of the fruit (following, growing, refining) is so applicable to our life with Christ today.

Matthew 9:38 “Lord of the harvest”

I do have a deep desire to produce the BEST wine I can in life—so learning to partner with God as He does the grand work in me is necessary and actually living that “easy yoke” life (Matt 11:30)

-jdw