The waiting room of heaven taught me that delay doesn’t mean abandonment or rejection; it means God is doing a deeper work beneath the surface. But what I didn’t realize at the time was that waiting and abiding go hand in hand.
Waiting anchors your hope; abiding sustains your heart. One teaches you patience; the other teaches you intimacy.
Sometimes, the hardest part of waiting isn’t the silence; it’s the pruning that happens while you wait. God begins to cut away what can’t go with you into the next season: the fears, the striving, the attachments, and the need to control the outcome. And though it hurts, it’s really His way of preparing you for fruitfulness.
Abiding is what keeps you steady when everything else feels uncertain. It’s choosing to stay close to Jesus, the Vine, even when the pruning shears are at work. Because when you remain connected to Him, every cut becomes a setup for greater growth.
There’s a kind of stillness that comes after the rain, but it’s not always peaceful at first. Sometimes it feels like silence. Like you’ve survived the flood, but now you’re left wondering what’s next.
That’s where abiding comes in.
We often think abiding in Christ means just believing in Him or staying faithful when things are good. But abiding is deeper than that. It’s staying connected to Jesus when life feels dry, confusing, or painfully slow. It’s learning to rest in the Vine even when every branch of your life feels like it’s being stripped bare.
Jesus said, “I am the Vine; you are the branches.” That means every part of our growth, strength, and fruitfulness depends on our connection to Him. When we abide, we draw life from Him. But that connection is tested the most during pruning seasons.
Pruning doesn’t feel holy when it’s happening. It feels like a loss.
Yet deep down, we can still hear God telling us to keep trusting, showing up in the little things, and obeying Him.
That’s what abiding looks like sometimes; it’s choosing to stay when everything in you wants to leave. It’s trusting God when you don’t understand Him. It’s being pruned and still saying, “Lord, I’m not letting go.”
In John 15, Jesus says that the Father “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.”
Unless you’re well-versed in agriculture, this verse can leave you feeling confused.
Why would God prune what’s already fruitful?
Pruning is proof that you’re growing.
God doesn’t prune dead branches; He prunes living ones. He sees potential you don’t see yet, and He cuts away what’s hindering it.
Maybe that’s what your wilderness feels like right now. It’s not that God has left you; He’s shaping you.
Abiding means staying put in the process, trusting that even when you can’t see the fruit, the Vine is still feeding you. It’s holding on when you feel cut back, knowing that the pruning is leading to a new season of fruitfulness. It’s choosing to stay rooted when everything in you wants to run.
There’s beauty in this kind of surrender, when you let go of control and allow God to do the deep work. Because in the end, abiding always leads to abundance.
The wilderness may feel barren, but it’s in that quiet space that roots grow deep. It’s where faith matures. It’s where you learn that fruit isn’t produced by striving, but by staying.
So if it feels like everything is being stripped away right now, remember this:
God prunes what He intends to bless. The shears may hurt, but His hand is steady. He knows exactly how much to cut and when to stop.
Abide in the Vine. Stay in His presence. Stay in His Word. Because one day, you’ll look around and see that the same branches that looked empty are now heavy with fruit, the kind that lasts.
Scripture
John 15:5 (WEB)
I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
When you stay connected to Jesus, even the pruning becomes purposeful.
Reflection
- What parts of your life feel like they’re being “cut back” right now?
- How has your understanding of abiding in Christ changed through your wilderness season?
- What would it look like to stay in the Vine even when nothing seems to be growing?
Heart Work
Take a few quiet moments and talk honestly with God about what hurts right now. Tell Him what feels like loss or delay. Then, instead of asking Him to stop the pruning, ask Him to help you trust His hand.
Write this declaration in your journal or whisper it in prayer:
“Lord, I choose to stay in You, even when it hurts. Teach me to trust the pruning, knowing it’s leading to fruit that will last.