March 25, 2026
— Oswald Chambers · Source: My Utmost for His Highest, January 19, "Vision and Darkness"
John 15:2 “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, but he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, so that it may bear more fruit.”
"Pruning" in the present moment is often accompanied by the pain of loss and the emptiness of being stripped away. When God removes the supports we thought were solid, humanity instinctively feels the trembling of being exposed to danger. However, those withered habits, narrow prejudices, or excessive self-protection in life, if not thoroughly pruned, will steal the nutrients that should belong to the "fruit." The Father's pruning is never for punishment, but for refinement—as Chambers said of Abraham's thirteen years of silence, they were "a time of discipline, not of displeasure." He removes the veils before our eyes so that we can see that unprecedented spiritual realm from a higher perspective. Only when our comfort zone is broken will the branches of life have the space to stretch freely toward the light of Christ, ultimately bearing the abundant, lasting fruit of life that glorifies His name.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for intervening in our lives with love and sovereignty during this season of growth. Lord, when You take up Your pruning shears to target the redundant and withered parts of our lives, grant us faith that even in pain we may believe in the precise gentleness of Your hand. Remove the narrow walls in our hearts, do not let us become stagnant in false security, but guide us into the vast horizon of Your truth. May we be more deeply connected to Christ, the true vine, in each process of being "pruned." Strengthen us, expand us in obedience, and enable our lives not only to bear the entrustment of learning and service, but also to overflow with the fruit of love and wisdom that comes from You. Amen.