Pruning, Preparation, and Progress: How God’s Process Prepares Us for Our Purpose

“Every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” – John 15:2

No one enjoys being pruned. When we face challenges, setbacks, or unexpected disruptions, it can feel like something is being taken away—sometimes painfully so. But in light of our Abide series and our study of John 15, Jesus gives us a fresh perspective: Pruning isn’t punishment. It’s preparation.

The Vine and the Gardener

In John 15:1, Jesus tells us, “I am the True Vine, and my Father is the Gardener” (ESV). Just as a gardener carefully prunes a healthy branch to help it produce more fruit, God lovingly removes things from our lives—not to harm us, but to position us for progress.

Pruning is a sign that you’re already bearing fruit! If you weren’t producing anything, there’d be nothing to prune. God prunes those who are already being effective because He sees more potential than we do. The question is, will we trust His process?

Disruptions or Divine Pruning?

At the start of this year, Pastor Dave shared a word for our church: “Disruptions.” Some may have taken that as a warning of hardship, but what if these disruptions are really moments of divine pruning? Think of the biblical figures who experienced pruning and what it led to:

• Joseph was stripped of his coat and thrown into prison, but it was preparation for the palace (Genesis 39).
• Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness before leading Israel (Exodus 2-3).
• Paul’s transformation made him a fearless apostle.
• Hannah’s waiting prepared her to raise a prophet.

None of them saw the full picture at the time, but God’s process of pruning was preparing them for a greater purpose.

What Does Pruning Look Like Today?

In our daily lives, God will prune us in various areas. It could be in relationships where God friendships and partnerships shift so that God can align us with the right people. It could be in opportunities where doors close so other “God doors” can open. He can convict you of certain habits that are holding you back from a greater degree of usefulness. He can even take you out of comfort zones and stretch you beyond where you feel safe so you can learn to trust and rely more on Him.

I love the way C.S. Lewis puts it in his classic book, Mere Christianity:

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, you understand what He is doing. But then He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts. You don’t understand. The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought—putting in a new wing, an extra floor. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace.”

Pruning is God’s way of telling you that you are a palace, where you only see a cottage.

Don’t Resist the Pruning—Embrace It

The worst thing we can do is resist God’s pruning process. Instead, we need to remain connected to Jesus, trusting that He knows what He’s doing. As we heard from this weekend’s message, Andrew Murray said it well: “The branch exists only to bear the fruit that the vine produces in it.”

We don’t have to strive to produce fruit—our job is simply to stay connected to Jesus. If we abide in Him, He will take care of the growth.

So, if you’re experiencing disruptions, setbacks, or unexpected changes, don’t be discouraged. You’re being pruned for something greater. Stay connected. Trust the process. And get ready for the fruit that’s coming.