Fruit That Remains
John 15:4-5,8 (NIV)
4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “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.
8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Supplementary Scriptures
Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Colossians 1:9-10 (NIV)
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[a] 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
The Slow Work of Growth
Mark 4:26-29 (NIV)
26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Supplementary Scriptures
1 Corinthians 3:6-7 (NIV)
6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
2 Peter 3:18 (NIV)
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
Lord, free me from impatience and comparison. Help me remain faithful in formation and trust You to complete what You began. Amen.
The Season of New Beginnings
Zechariah 4:10 (NIV)
“Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone[a] in the hand of Zerubbabel?”
Supplementary Scriptures
Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)
18 “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
Matthew 13:31-32 (NIV)
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
Jesus, meet me where the last season ended. Redeem what I cannot change, restore my courage and help me follow You into what comes next. Amen.
When the Season Changes
Song of Songs 2:11-13 (NIV)
11 See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
12 Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me.”
Supplementary Scriptures
Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)
18 “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
1 Chronicles 12:32 (NIV)
From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command;
Lord, give me courage when change feels unfamiliar. Help me release what has ended, recognize what You are doing now and follow You without fear. Amen.
The God of the Turning Point
Psalm 30:5,11-12 (NIV)
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.
Supplementary Scriptures
IsIsaiah 61:1-3 (NIV)
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
Jeremiah 31:13 (NIV)
Then young women will dance and be glad,
young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
Lord, open my eyes to what You are turning. Renew my hope and help me follow as You lead. Amen.
The Season of Grief
Ecclesiastes 3:4 (NIV)
A time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
Supplementary Scriptures
John 11:32-36 (NIV)
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (NIV)
13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
Jesus, meet me in the ache of loss. Hold me when words fail, comfort me through every wave of grief and keep hope alive within me. Amen.
God is near in my sorrow. I can grieve honestly while holding onto eternal hope.
The Season of Silence
There are seasons when we pray and listen, yet God seems silent.
Psalm 13 opens with David’s painful question: “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?” His lament is faith refusing to walk away when no answer comes.
Job knew this silence. In Job 23, he searched everywhere but could not perceive God. Still he confessed that God knew his way. What Job could not see did not change what God knew.
Silence is not proof of abandonment. Nor should we invent explanations and call them God’s voice. When no reason is revealed, faith does not fill the silence with fear. It holds to God’s revealed character.
We can keep praying honestly, obeying Scripture and remaining attentive without forcing an answer. Silence may teach us to trust God without constant reassurance.
Answer this honestly:
What have you concluded about God because He has not answered as clearly or quickly as you hoped?
Make this your grounding truth:
God’s silence is not His absence. I will trust what He has revealed while I wait for what He has not.
Let’s pray:
Lord, meet me in the silence. Guard me from fear, keep my heart honest and help me remain faithful without answers. Amen.
As this moment comes to a close, remember this:
When God seems silent, His character still speaks.
Psalm 13:1-6 (NIV)
1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,
for he has been good to me.
Supplementary Scriptures
Job 23:8-10 (NIV)
8 “But if I go to the east, he is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find him.
9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.
10 But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
Isaiah 50:10 (NIV)
Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys the word of his servant?
Let the one who walks in the dark,
who has no light,
trust in the name of the Lord
and rely on their God.
Lord, meet me in the silence. Guard me from fear, keep my heart honest and help me remain faithful without answers. Amen.
God’s silence is not His absence. I will trust what He has revealed while I wait for what He has not.