December 2009 Guest Column - Brian Woolery
“We Are The Branches”
By Brian Woolery
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the book of John, specifically when Jesus says “Apart from me you can do nothing.” (15:5). Many times I wonder if we show that we trust what Jesus says in that verse by the way we live our lives. Do our daily habits in ministry show that we are trusting fully on the wisdom, power, and discernment of Christ? We want our lives to be used to glorify God and we want to be effective in ministry, but sometimes our desires to do our best for God are actually OUR desires. We have to be honest with ourselves. Is God guiding us or are we working for God but in our own strength? So how do we keep that connection? Prayer.
Jesus, the very Son of God, is seen spending time constantly in prayer, and this shouldn’t surprise us. The ways we keep the most important connections in our lives are by communication. We want to stay connected to the people we love by talking, texting, calling, facebooking. Jesus was in constant connection with the Father and it was in these times that Jesus shared his heart with the Father and the Father kept Jesus focused in life. Jesus said, “The Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing.” (Jn 15:19). So if Jesus, the very Son of God relied on the direction and wisdom of the Father, how much more do we need this constant daily guidance?
Sometimes our prayer is one-way, us to God. But we see in Jesus that prayer was where the Father revealed to the Son his vision and direction for ministry. How many hours do we spend thinking about the vision and directions for our ministry? How many of those hours are spent individually or as a group, seeking the direction of God in prayer?
I’ve always wondered, when Jesus was doing miracles how he choose who would be healed? It was the Spirit who led Jesus to where the Father was already working and Jesus joined the Father there! Prayer was not just Jesus’ chance to tell God his feelings, but rather prayer kept Jesus’ heart sensitive to see what the Father was doing around him at every moment and respond.
It is true. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. Apart from him we can do nothing, because we were created for a life-giving relationship with Jesus! Prayer is the way that life is transferred from him to us, like the water and nutrients are passed from a vine to the branch so that it may be green, healthy, and fruitful.
