Here is a dangerous prayer you can pray, one that will hurt at first but be so worth it. It is based on John 15 where Jesus says He is the True Vine, God the Father is the Vinedresser, and we are the branches.
Jesus says, “Every branch that bears fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2, emphasis mine).
Here’s the dangerous prayer: ask God to prune you of unfruitful branches in your life.
Doing this invites what I call “sanctified pain” into our lives. It’s not fun to have parts of our lives snipped off. But God, the good Vinedresser, prunes us so that a new stalk will grow and bear fruit where before we were fruitless. The result of God’s gracious snipping is a more fruitful life and greater joy in Him. Who doesn’t want that?
Join me in praying this dangerous prayer: “Lord, prune me (but don’t make it hurt more than it needs to!). I want to bear fruit for You and Your glory.”
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