A couple of apple trees grow in my yard, and during the late winter I prune many of their branches. It seems counterintuitive, but cutting off dying or damaged branches helps a tree produce the best possible fruit. Pruning the branches improves the health of the tree in two big ways. First, the process removes unhealthy branches that use up the tree’s resources but will not produce good fruit. Second, pruning involves trimming away some small, thin, or delicate branches. These otherwise healthy branches would only produce small, inedible apples. In both cases, the branches are removed in order to allow the tree to have a strong, healthy structure for making fruit. By September, the apples are big, ripe, and ready to eat.

As followers of Jesus, we cannot grow in our faith, trust, and obedience in God on our own. We must live our lives with Jesus. As we abide with Christ, God, like a gardener, shapes and conforms…or prunes…us to be more faithful and fruitful. As a result, our prayers increasingly reflect what Jesus would want for us and our trust that he will do what is best for us.

Pruning and growth

As I prune my trees each year, I think of Jesus’ teaching on the vine and branches (John 15:1-8). Using the analogy of a grapevine, Jesus calls himself the true vine, and we, as his followers, are the branches. Continuing the analogy, God the Father is the gardener, and he tends to us, prunes us, and encourages us to stay connected to Jesus and produce good fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). Yet, sometimes, God’s pruning can hurt. We might feel the pain of pruning when we’re convicted of a distracting sin or grieved by how we’re not making the most of opportunities to share about God’s work in our lives.

Fruitful and faithful

God prunes us because he loves us. In fact, God’s clipping and trimming conforms us more and more into the image of his Son (Romans 8:29). That’s why Jesus gives this surprising teaching about prayer: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:7-8). Theologians J.I.Packer and Carolyn Nystrom expand on this idea in their book Praying:

When we pray, it is not for us to suppose that we twist God's arm or are in any way managing the situation. We aren't. We should learn to think of our praying as less a means of getting from God what we want than as the means whereby God gives us the good things that he purposes to give us but that we are not always in a fit condition to receive. God intends all along to give these good things, but he waits to be asked so that we will properly value the gift when it comes, and our hearts will be turned in gratitude and renew trust to the one who gave (p. 66, emphasis added).

Even though it’s sometimes painful, God shows us love through pruning, and , in this process, we become more like his Son. If we remain in Jesus and allow his words to remain in us, our prayers will be in line with his will and purpose. As we bear fruit and show ourselves to be Jesus' disciples, our prayers bring glory to God. Like the well-pruned apple tree branch bears healthy apples, our pruned prayers reflect our faith, obedience, and trust that God will answer them according to his will. As you abide in Christ (the vine) and yield to the work of the Father (the gardener), may you trust in God’s timing, have confidence that he always listens and be patient with his plan.