No Small Potatoes: How it matters where you live

“I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer (1)…Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you (4)… I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant (5)… if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon (7).”—John 15:1 – 8 (MSG)

As my cousin, Debbie, and I were out for our afternoon walk on the farm, a car approached. We stepped to the side of the gravel road; the car stopped beside us. “What’s growing there?” the driver called to us through his open window, gesturing toward the field.

“Potatoes,” we responded in unison.

The driver was a new farm resident, not familiar with crops, whereas I had lived on the farm almost my whole life and Debbie her entire life. Even though we could not see the potatoes growing beneath the surface, we could respond without hesitation because we recognized the vines.

That made me think about the Lord and the relationship He desires with us. He refers to Himself as the Vine and His followers the branches. He calls us to make our home in Him, to have an intimate relationship with Him. When we live with someone, we become familiar with their ways and their words. We might even find ourselves acting likewise and finishing their sentences. If we abide in Jesus, studying and depositing His Word in our heart, we become familiar with His ways and act accordingly. As we grow in our relationship with Him, we learn to trust Him even more. We know His promises are true because we have seen Him come through.

The Bible says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He doesn’t change. If He has made a way for us in the past, surely He will do it again. Even if we have been praying about something for years and still don’t see the answer, we can be assured that He is listening and working it out (John 15:7).

We may not see the potatoes growing beneath the surface, but they’re there. And soon the abundant harvest will come.

If we abide in the Vine, we become familiar with God’s ways. We recognize He is working even when we don’t see it. And that’s no small potatoes!

Dear Jesus, May I always make my home in You and trust in Your promises, even in unpromising circumstances. Amen.