John 15:5 - Branches Of Promise

Step 1: Pray. Select.  

Today, I woke up with a vigor burning inside my heart, wondering what God had in store for me. It is Day 1 of my 30-day journey (read yesterday's blog, Look Nor Gather Into Barns, for more context).

It was too cold to sit outside today, so I plopped down on my favorite oversized chair in our living room, grabbed some coffee, and began to listen with expectation. I didn't want to pray using my words today; I just politely asked God, "Whatever you have for me, I am here; you said you would meet me, so here I am! Let's go!"

I closed my eyes, and nothing.

My husband was asleep, and the kids were visiting relatives, so it was just my dog Hero and I sitting in the room, and he laid down on the rug close to me and fell back asleep.

I took a sip of the warm coffee and a deep breath, closed my eyes again, and still nothing. "God, where are you?" I thought to myself in my head.

It remained beyond quiet, waiting. It was so quiet I could almost hear my own ears ringing. So I opened my eyes again and looked down at the blank page in my journal. When I noticed a tiny sketch in the top right corner of the page, I had never seen before. It looked like a branch from a tree or a vine. Then, immediately, John 15:5 came into my mind.

I decided to start there.

Step 2: Write. Read. Circle

John 15:5 - “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.

After reading the scripture three times, the following words stood out:

• The Branches

• Remain In Me

• Apart From Me You Can Do Nothing

Step 3: Re-Write

Adding my name to the front and with a focus on the words that stood out, here is the sentence I came up with for today:

• Jennifer, the branches remain in me; apart from me you can do nothing.

Step 4: Visualize

I closed my eyes and was taken to a forest where an exorbitantly large sequoia tree stood boldly higher and broader than all the others.

I climbed up branches that appeared one by one like a winding staircase, revealing one branch at a time as I climbed higher and higher. The branches were sparse, with little to no leaves. In fact, they almost seemed like they were dying and turning black. As I continued to climb, grabbing each branch with a tight grip so I didn't fall, I stopped momentarily to catch my breath.

I wondered how far I was going to climb and if there was an end to what appeared to be an infinite exercise. Sweat began dripping down my brow as I paused. I was so focused on getting to wherever I was going I hadn't even noticed how heated I had become from climbing since the cold mountain air felt like a natural air conditioner against my skin. I also couldn't fathom losing my grip on the branches, but now that I was stopped, and had a moment to check my footing, which was sturdy on the branches I landed on, I released my grip with one hand to wipe my brow while holding on with the remaining hand to make sure I didn't lose my balance. I had no sense of orientation of how far I climbed or how far I still had to go. There was no before or after. I was just there, wherever there was.

I sighed deeply as my hot breath created a white cloud against the freezing forest air. The cloud drifted upward, and I followed it. It quickly vanished, but as I gazed upward, I realized above me there was a plethora of branches that had rich green pine needles and looked like an oasis compared to the black charred branches I climbed up on.

I didn't want to look down to see how far I could fall. But curiosity got the best of me and what I saw was very frightening. I was clearly multiple stories into the air. However, all the branches below were gone. The trunk was barren below me as the tree was doing what trees naturally do; they shed their lower branches and leaves, freeing them to climb higher, and the younger, fresh branches could receive the light needed for growth. So clearly, there was no turning back now and no way to climb down. Suddenly, Lot's wife came to mind.

In Genesis 19:26: "But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt," and Genesis 19:17: "An angel tells Lot and his family to flee for their lives, not look back, and not stop anywhere in the plain," Lot's wife was clearly warned to not covet or be concerned with the past as God rained fire and brimstone over Sodom and Gomorrah.

I thought about how I would surely fall or perish if I didn't keep moving forward, and the tree kept dropping branches. God is not giving me a choice but to climb to the top, even though I cannot see or know what will happen once I reach my destination.

As I am contemplating the severity of his instruction, the timing of this 30-day blog challenge, and knowing from yesterday's promise in Matthew 6:26, I must continue to look up, keeping my eyes on him like the birds, and trust I will make it securely to where this destination is leading. He would not have placed it in front of me if it wasn't supposed to be there.

God has been making a way, providing a branch to a new promise during every step; our duty is to cling tight and climb up.

Just then, my verse of the day notification bell rang from Bible.com. As I was thinking about holding tight and climbing higher, right on time, I received this verse: Colossians 3:1 NKJV states, "If you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God."

Step 5: Ask. Seek

The main question(s) that came to mind were:

• What is above me?

• Is there safety there?

Step 6: Hear. Write. Receive

What is above me, Holy Spirit?

"Clarity and provision. Your bird's eye view. You have never been afraid of heights. You have peace in high places. Fear of falling is only present when you look back and resurrect what God has killed. You must let go of the past and move forward knowing your Father has something in store for you at the top."

Is there safety there?

"You are trying to figure out if it will provide security in this world, where nothing is certain in this world anyway. So why don't you let go and let God show you what He has in store? Invest your faith in Him; he will not return to you void. He will give you what you need, even if you don't know what that is. You are a child, and your Father knows best. Walk by faith and not by sight."

Step 7: Pray. Confirm

Well, here I am with a challenge. Truthfully, my flesh really wants to know for sure I will have financial security, acceptance amongst family and friends for becoming a writer and ditching my previous career, and to know I am walking out God's will for my life. Still, I can never know this if I don't continue to cling to him and keep climbing the branches of his promises. And the only way to cling to the rich lush branches is to keep climbing until he reveals the landscape ahead of me at the top.

I really need to zone in on my faith journey and focus on this 30-day challenge as a start. I need to continue asking for prayer to protect the climb to God's destination with one foot in front of the other up the tree for the next 30 days. From there, I will see what God lays out next.

If you used the scripture of the day and need prayer or someone to pray with you, connect Here. Remember, you are not alone!

Step 8: Share. Testify

Once I have an update, I will report how God used this experience to direct my steps in this blog.   

If you workshopped any of the verses mentioned above using the 8-Step Prayer Practice, we would love to hear from you in the comments below about what the Holy Spirit showed or spoke to you today.

If you have a miracle or testimony to share, don't forget to Spread Hope and share HERE. We want to see how God is working in your life!

Conclusion:

Well, Day 1 is complete. So far, so good. Looking forward to Day 2 and what God has in store next. Regardless, I am grateful for the branches he has placed in my life so far and for his consistent provision and covering over my life, keeping me safe every step of the way.

Don't forget to share where the Holy Spirit took you with this scripture! I know each one of you will have a fantastic story to tell.

May each step of this blog continue to bless you as the excitement builds of what God will reveal next!