In Him, Out of You.....fruit

Ps 84:5-7

The flower of the orchid has to be attached to the mother plant because the life sap and (little) water it needs to survive keeps it flowering. It is the flower that gives people pleasure.

The same principle applies to the believer - we have to abide in Christ to bear fruit, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

What kind of fruit is under discussion here? The kind that flows from a relationship with the Lord.  Listen what Psalm 84:5-7 says, "Blessed is the man whose  strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage.  As they pass through the Valley of Baca (a barren valley) they make it spring; the rain also covers it with pools.  They go from strength to strength."

One or other time all of us experience 'barren valleys' in our  lives.  It is in those times that you feel no one cares for you, that nothing you undertake is a success, that there is no escape from your circumstances and that even God has forsaken you. Elijah felt this kind of despair so intensely that he wished to die and even prayed that it might happen! (1Kings 19:4). Fortunately God always knows best and sees further than the now, so He sent an angel and food to strengthen Elijah.  The result? He was strengthened, went to meet God at the place where He was waiting for Him and got the assignment to anoint three new leaders (v15-17). 

In your "barren valley" you have to take a rational decision to strengthen yourself in the Lord. Draw power from what you know about the Him: that He is in you, with you and wants to teach and strengthen you. He wants his power to flow through you and thus enable you to rise to the occasion and enjoy the place of springs and early autumn rains that awaits you. If you can own this truth and come across people who experience their own barren valley, your involvement might be instrumental in also filling their land with water, sharing the Lord's blessings with them and going from strength to strength too. Your barren valley enabled you to become fruitful!

The condition? As a branch stay implanted in the vine because without Him you can do nothing.

Prayer: Thank you Father that I never have to rely on my own strength. I  want to remain in You. Amen