Mary Magdalene came to the tomb of Jesus early in the morning to grieve but found the stone had been rolled away, and His body was gone. Then as she turned around, a man was standing there whom she didn't recognize. Mary thought that He was the gardener. Yet, when He called her by her name, she knew that it was Jesus. He calls His sheep by name, and they know His voice (John 10:3).

Mary wasn't far off, for God has done His share of gardening. He planted the original garden of Eden. Jesus often met with His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane (John 18:1). The empty tomb they were standing by was in a garden. The parables of Jesus tell of a caretaker that prunes and fertilizes (John 15:2, Luke 13:6). The Lord knows how to make things grow.

Yet, sometimes the Lord can be working in our lives, and we don't recognize Him. Then later, we realize that it was Him. Jesus said that His sheep would recognize His voice (John 10:3). He is always there to care for us with fertilizing to make us grow or pruning us back to make us bear more fruit (John 15:2).

We often see it from the plant's perspective, and being pruned isn't fun. We can see no logical reason why the gardener would be cutting off our branches. That person standing in front of you, building you up, or tearing you down, may be sent by the Lord to help you along. Trust the gardener, for He has your best interest at heart. You are going to be better off in the long run.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for taking care of me, and I put my trust in You. Your way is the best, and You understand the seasons of growing and pruning. I am in Your hands. Please have Your way in my life. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: For those who would like to join us, today we will be hosting our RHM Live Online church service. This is a special time of interactive worship, prayer, fellowship and an inspiring message. All are welcome! The service starts at 10am EST. Here is the link to join: RHM Live. As always, if you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network.