The Garden Series: Growing Where God Plants You

 

Conclusion: The God Who Makes Things Grow

Based on 1 Corinthians 3:6–7 and Isaiah 61:11

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I. The Mystery of Growth

Paul wrote,

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.
So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:6–7)

Every gardener knows the truth of this verse.
You can plant, water, and wait, but you cannot force a seed to open.
Growth happens in mystery, beneath the surface where only God’s hand can reach.

Henri Nouwen said,

“Spiritual growth does not mean that we will have no conflicts or difficulties.
It means that we may look at them differently, with greater trust, and know that God’s love is still at work.”

We live in a culture of outcomes, but God works through slow transformation.
His timetable is measured not in minutes but in mercy.
He is never rushed, and He never wastes a season.

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II. The Seasons of the Soul

The garden of the soul moves through seasons just as the earth does.
There is planting, rooting, pruning, and harvest.
Each season carries its own kind of grace.

Thomas Merton wrote,

“You do not need to know precisely what is happening or exactly where it is all going.
What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment and to embrace them with courage, faith, and hope.”

Some seasons will feel full of color and abundance.
Others will feel bare and silent.
But even winter roots drink water unseen.
The Gardener remains faithful in every climate.

God does not ask you to make yourself grow.
He asks you to stay planted, to keep trusting the process, and to let His hands do the work beneath the surface.

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III. The Patience of the Gardener

Patience is the rhythm of love in motion.
The Gardener never forces what is still forming.
He waits with tenderness, turning the soil, giving light, pruning gently, and returning daily to what He has planted.

Henri Nouwen wrote,

“Patience is not waiting passively until something happens.
It means to go through every moment with the conviction that God is present and will reveal His purpose.”

Dallas Willard said,

“The mature disciple is one who is easily at peace and full of joy, because he has learned to rest in the goodness of God.”

Divine patience invites human peace.
When we learn to wait with God rather than for Him, the waiting becomes sacred.
Trust becomes its own form of growth.

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IV. The Fruit That Lasts

Jesus said,

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.” (John 15:16)

Fruit that lasts is not measured by visibility or success.
It is the quiet evidence of a transformed heart.
Love that endures, forgiveness that returns, peace that holds in the storm—these are the true signs of life in the Spirit.

Henri Nouwen wrote,

“The fruit of our lives grows not by our anxious pushing or pulling but by remaining connected to the Source of life.”

Lasting fruit always reflects the Gardener’s character more than the plant’s effort.
The glory of the harvest belongs to the One who tended the soil.

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V. The Invitation to Remain

Isaiah wrote,

“As the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.” (Isaiah 61:11)

The final act of faith is not striving but remaining.
You do not need to make things happen.
You need only to stay rooted in His love.
He will bring forth life in His time, in His way, for His glory.

Thomas Merton said,

“Every moment and every event of every man’s life on earth plants something in his soul.”

You are already being cultivated by divine care.
The same God who began the work will complete it.
Trust that nothing is wasted.
Even what feels dormant is alive beneath His watchful eye.

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Living This Truth

1. Remember who does the growing.
   Read 1 Corinthians 3:6–7 each morning this week.
   Let it remind you that your only task is faithfulness. God will do the rest.

2. Stay rooted in gratitude.
   Thank God for both visible fruit and unseen growth.
   Gratitude turns ordinary waiting into worship.

3. Notice the seasons around you.
   Ask yourself which season your soul is in.
   Let that awareness guide how you rest, pray, and respond.

4. Release the pressure to perform.
   When you feel hurried or inadequate, repeat quietly,
   “It is God who makes things grow.”

5. Pray for gentle faith.

   “Lord, help me trust Your timing.
   Make my heart patient in Your process.
   Teach me to rest in Your presence and rejoice in Your harvest.”