Prayer: God, I don't want my evangelism to be like how I've been taught. I want to lead people towards you. I want to disciple them even when they may not believe. I want to plant the seens and bring them to maturity through nuturing. It takes time, I understand, but I don't want to be like the others. Instead of a seed they plant a seedling. Then they abandon it. These "new" Christians have no one to nuture them or see them to maturity. Who will disciple them? Does anyone volunteer? All these seedlings know is bewilderment as they are abandoned to foreign soil.
Vision: The gardener looks out over His orchard. What He sees is a sad sight. Row upon row small scraggly seedlings jutt out of the soil. How long has His orchard been like this? Some of the seedlings are already dead and disintegrating, becoming only dry twigs pointing out of the ground. How many are beyond hope? There are still many that seem to be alive, but they are struggling and slowly losing the battle. There are a few seedlings that are larger than the others, but they too are beginning to die. The measly looking army of twigs poking out of the ground stretches for miles, only to be interrupted once in a while by a tree that managed to survive and grow. These perhaps only occur as one tree out of hundreds, and even some of these are malnourished to the point of bearing no fruit.
The gardener begins to cry. What happened to His beautiful garden? He had such a plan and vision for it, but something had gone terribly wrong. He had petitioned His children to plant seeds and then water them, and nourish them so the garden would grow healthy. But the children had merely plopped seedlings into the ground, and then they went off to play. They thought they had done their job. They had put trees into the orchard hadn't they? But look at how dead the trees were! Why hadn't the children seen? Why hadn't they understood? This was not the gardener's grand plan! This had no fruit to it...only a shadow of what should have been.
The gardener dries His tears and straightens His shoulders. He rolls up His sleeves and bends down to hold the first seedlings wilting leaves in His hands. It will be a big job but He will get it done. One by one, tree by tree, He will go through His orchard. Some of the dead twigs He will have to pull out and burn, but a few of the dying ones can still be nurtured. He's going to call His children to help Him. To those who respond and come running to help, He will work beside. Those who ignore His voice and continue with their games will not be able to experience the same outpouring of His presence that He's going to give those who do. Neither will the children who do not respond receive the reward at the end that He's planned.
It is time to plant a new orchard. A new plan has been conceive - a new thing is coming! He will separate the tares from the wheat. The tree will be known by its fruit. The harvest is plenty but the labourers are few. Ask the Lord of the orchard to provide children who will nurture His plants to life.
Prayer: Lord, as your child will You please work beside me? Teach me how to plant. Teach me how to water and nourish a plant. Teach me what I must do to nuture a plant to full maturity and fruitfulness. Give me the strength I need to persevere through the dirty work. Sometimes I may get tired. Forgive me if I walk away at times. Please accept me again when I return. Give me the wisdom I need to do this. Help me bring other children to the orchard to work beside me. May we understand the wonder, pleasure and blessing of working in Your orchard. Please be there, I will be looking for You.
