Christian Writers Circle

I Trust Your Kingdom Come – Part II
by Kathleen Shore

I must say, pure delight for more of Him overtook any hesitation within me as I responded to Father’s request that quiet autumn morning…

Creation had painted a picture for me to see what my posture should look like in light of God’s faithful provision amidst the coming dormancy of fall, giving way to the death of winter. It was perfect. He is perfect.

As I focused on Him and His perfect way through the unknown of what I was being drawn into, all fear of what it might look like, or what may need to be pruned away in me, simply rested down in the comfort of what my Creator displayed right outside my window that morning. I was captivated.

Observing the level of trust with my very own eyes that all creation had for the Master, gave me a hunger for more of Him. Planted deep into my heart, a seed was shoved down into the readied soil…Left there to die, it would be a full year and one month before the Son/sun with all the warmth of His love/light would call me out of darkness, bursting forth with resurrection life.

But before the Master Gardener allowed dormancy to give way to death He spoke these words to my spirit…

                                                                  John 15:1-2
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

His sweet thoughts and intentions of me secured my heart in His hand as God graciously whispered the assurance of His desire. It was as though Psalm 139:5 was tending to me for all that would need to come. “He hemmed me in, behind and before…”
(See Psalm 139:5-6)

His promised springtime of resurrection life, whenever that would come, had to be believed in prior to God’s moment to bring it forth. It is His desire that we look to Him with hope-filled expectation during the seasons of dormancy into death, during the pruning of even the fruitful branch in our lives…for the sake of greater fruit. He wanted me to believe in all that He promised, before it took place. That’s what ‘believing’ is! Once you ‘see’ what you waited for, you’re no longer believing.

So, I received His invitation that quiet autumn morning, and believed (to the best of my ability) in all He would do. All I needed then was to simply choose (over and over) an internal posture of rest and let Him have His way…no matter what it looked like.

In the waiting, more specifically, what I chose to be doing in the waiting was a great lesson. SO MUCH IS GOING ON IN THE WAITING. Even if I had to wait in the refinement of humiliation, in false accusation, in heartache, or physical suffering…my response still needed to be at rest, trusting Him, expecting Him, just like the painted picture outside my window. These are the moments our lives crown Him – King!

May you see the glory of John 12:32 from the resurrection life in you…
“And I, If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all peoples to Myself.”