.jpeg)
Yesterday morning while walking my dog, I was listening to worship music and the song "New Wine" by Hillsong Worship came on, and as I listened the Lord started speaking about new wine, and drawing some analogies that I thought were significant. The main theme of this analogy related to seasons we find ourselves in, and how the Lord is working in us, to change us.
Starting with the vine, in John 15 Jesus speaks about us as branches on the vine. John 15:1-2 NIV:
[1] “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. [2] 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."
As someone with a grape vine, I have studied pruning and the necessity of doing so. Grapes only grow on branches that are a year old. Thus, it is important to prune the vine every year, so that in the next season there is fruitfulness.
In our Christian walk, it is not uncommon for us to experience seasons of fruitfulness followed by seasons where it feels like we are experiencing a cutting back. Maybe you are no longer involved in a ministry opportunity that you really enjoyed, or maybe the Lord is dealing with internal issues, things that need to be removed. In either case, these experiences can be panful, and make us wonder if we did something wrong, or is we are being punished. Going back to Jesus' statement, these are meant to bring forth more fruit! In other words what we did was valuable to the Lord, so He, in His wisdom, is pruning us so that we will bear more fruit in the future! It is not punishment, nor something we did wrong, it is preparation!
Moving on to grapes and fruitfulness, and wine making. Grapes that grow in hot and dry summers actually produce better wine! Sometimes we go through those times of extended dryness in our walk with the Lord, again thinking we have somehow lost our way, but if we persevere there will be a richness and sweetness that develops in us.
Some grapes are eaten and used immediately, others are used to make grape juice, other grapes are used to make wine. Grape juice is immediately available and some of our seasons in life and in Christ, we find ourselves bearing fruit and quickly and its wonderful to be bearing fruit for the Lord. However sometimes the Lord has better plans for the grapes, making them into wine. In both cases there is a crushing and pressing, think of this as service rendered to the Lord, that costs us time, attention, money, some level of dying to our own wants and needs. Although panful on some level, it is rewarding.
In winemaking an additional few steps are added that cause a deep transformation, and this transformation enhances the flavors and characteristics that are already found in the wine, due to where they are grown, and whats in the air and soil around them (our life experience). Chemically, the juice is changed into wine, by yeast converting the sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This change is at a deep (molecular) level, and there is no going back. The giving off of CO2 is why new wine skins are required, as this gas causes expansion.
If you are in a season of fruitfulness, but old ways don't seem to be working anymore, or are uncomfortable, you might be in the making new wine season. In these situations, new thinking, new ways, new methods, new flexibility is required! This is an uncomfortable process, as many of us don't like change, or resist change. If we look at that analogy, used by Jesus in Matthew 9:17, He isn't saying old wine is bad, but He is doing something new and there must be room for this new work! In my life, this has meant being open to change, being open to new paradigms, new ideas, new ways of hearing, etc. The Lord is doing something new, and we must make room.
Some wine is consumed shortly after this transformation process (new wine) but much is put into barrels for aging. This aging allows for a mellowing, a melding of flavors from the wood mixed with the wine, bringing out new flavors. The time in the barrel is constraining and dark, and seasonal changes cause small movements of wine into and out of the wood, further enhancing and developing the rich characteristics the winemaker is after. I guess we could take Jesus' example in John 15 and say not only is the Father the gardener, He is also the winemaker.
As I was thinking through this all I felt like the Lord said that we must not lose hope in any season we are in, for He is about His work in our life, and we must trust that He knows what He is doing! Even if we have gone through a crushing, and pressing, into a time of deep transformation, and now find ourselves still hidden away, with imperceptible changes, it is because He sees in us something special, something worth waiting to share with the world, and the rest of the Body of Christ. He hasn't forgotten you, He isn't punishing you, He hasn't removed you from His plans, He has much greater things, and greater purpose for you!
He is about reproducing in us, the likeness of His Son. Jesus went through 30 years of hiddenness and quiet before He was revealed to the world!
My prayer this morning is that this analogy helps you identify where you are in the Lord, especially if you are in a seasons of struggle, difficulty, dryness or darkness. The Lord isn't finished and there are days of fruitfulness and ministry still ahead of you!
May His grace and peace rest upon you and give You hope!
Here are the first few verses to the song, "New Wine"
In the crushing
In the pressing
You are making new wine
In the soil
I now surrender
You are breaking new ground
So I yield to You into Your careful hand
When I trust You I don't need to understand
Make me Your vessel
Make me an offering
Make me whatever You want me to be
I came here with nothing
But all You have given me
Jesus bring new wine out of me
In the crushing
In the pressing
You are making new wine
In the soil
I now surrender
You are breaking new ground
You are breaking new ground
So, make me Your vessel
Make me an offering
Make me whatever
You want me to be
I came here with nothing
But all You have given me
Jesus, bring new wine out of me
Jesus, bring new wine out of me
Jesus, bring new wine out of me
'Cause where there is new wine
There is new power
There is new freedom
And the Kingdom is here
I lay down my old flames
To carry Your new fire today
'Cause where there is new wine
There is new power
There is new freedom
And the Kingdom is here
I lay down my old flames
To carry Your new fire today
So, make me Your vessel
Make me an offering
Make me whatever You want me to be
God, I came here with nothing
But all You have given me
Jesus, bring new wine out of me
Jesus, bring new wine out of me
Jesus, bring new wine out of me
No comments:
Post a Comment