An Empty Vessel

Pray for things that appear dead and hopeless, God will restore them!

Back story: We bought property about four years ago, and began to build in late 2018. In order to get the ground level, we had to clear almost every tree from the lot. It made me sad to think we were destroying life for a house – a material object. Imagine my excitement when new life began to sprout up without us doing anything! God’s creation just amazes me!

There was one oak though sprouting in a spot I considered unfavorable, so we decided to relocate it. (As I’m typing this, I realize just how ridiculous I am – God allows a seedling to grow and I think it should be replanted in a better spot. Jesus, help me!) Anyways, that’s an entirely different topic, I’ll get back to my back story…

A little over a year has passed and all the trees, except the one we replanted, have meaningful growth – which is probably why it got overlooked when “someone” mowed the yard a few weeks ago. (This someone shall remain nameless…but you know who you are!

) I was pretty upset about it. It was a living tree we planted as a family and all that was left was a dead-looking twig poking a few inches out of the ground.

But, God! Several days ago, I walked outside to check on it and, to my surprise, the tree had already grown back – the same growth that took more than a year had occurred in just a few weeks! Pretty crazy, right?!?! I was super excited! I started walking inside to tell my husband when the Lord stopped me in my tracks and said, “Don’t you remember you prayed over that tree.” It was such a quick prayer that I had forgotten all about it. What power though, my prayer through Jesus restored a tree! Imagine what our prayers do for the lost and broken. Well, I knew what happened with the tree was significant, but I didn’t realize the full significance until the other night.

More back story: I was in my prayer closet a few Tuesdays ago and the Lord spoke to me “it’s simple, empty yourself out.” It was 1:00 in the afternoon, and I had done everything under the sun except pray so I assumed the Lord was telling me (again!) to stop filling my life with tasks and things and put communion with Him first. Brother Solomon preached those exact words the very next night, just with a different perspective. His perspective was empty out (or use) the gifts you have and Jesus will fill you with even more anointing. Jesus gives us the parable of the talents as an example of His multiplication. Matthew 25:20 says, “And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Pastor also spoke that night about letting go of (or emptying out) our insecurities to be used mightily in the kingdom of God. It wasn’t until altar call when the Holy Ghost put all three together for me – the tree, the words He spoke to me, and the message given by both men of God. When the Lord told me in prayer to empty myself out, he meant it in two ways: empty yourself out so you can empty yourself out. It is a continual two-sided process. Clean the junk out of your life and heart so you can pour out the Holy Ghost on the broken and hopeless. He will multiply what you empty out (like he multiplied my tree).

The tree was God’s way of showing me the power of emptying myself out. A prayer, that I considered insignificant, brought life to my tree – a tree I thought was dead and finished. We put our own judgements on situations when we need to understand that Jesus is the Way-Maker. When we live holy and pour out our God-given talents, the lost and broken are restored and made whole, even when we can’t see it. 1 Peter 4:10 tells us, “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

Jesus, I thank you for restoration. Help me to become an empty vessel. Lord, restore in me a new heart, so I can bring life to the dead. I give You all the glory, honor and praise. Amen.