Seasons
written by Matt Hindley
For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. –Zephaniah 3:17 NLT
Aside from tree pollen causing my sinuses to act up, I love the season of spring. I love how each day brings new changes to the landscape. One day a bush is nothing but bare twigs; the next it is a magnolia in bloom. Flowers are blooming, birds are singing, the earth is alive! Spring is a season where it is easy for me to see God in action.
The thing is though, we don’t spend our lives only in a season of spring. We go through times where everything is bright and God is easy to find (spring). We have times where we know God is present, but don’t actively seek Him (summer). Then, we have times where things get a little tough, and we have to be more intentional in seeing God’s presence (autumn). And finally, there are the times in our lives where it is just plain hard to see that God is there (winter).
The beautiful thing to me, is that we never stay in our personal seasons of winter. For just because it appears that our world has become lifeless and that God is nowhere to be found, we can find hope that God is still present. God is still at work. And most importantly, spring will come again.
I like to think that the disciples experienced this first-hand. They were called and became familiar with Jesus (spring). They followed Him, and watched the many miraculous works He performed (summer). Then they were foretold what would happen, but didn’t understand (autumn). Last, they watched as Jesus was tried, crucified, and later buried (winter). To use a common saying, the rug had been pulled out from under their feet.
Where was God now? How could the God they believed in allow His own Son to die such a horrible death? Were they next? How would they go on?
And yet, God was still at work. Life would spring forth again. Christ would rise. God’s presence would be made known once again to the disciples. They would then go on to make sure the message spread of Christ’s redeeming love and God’s continual presence in our lives (Yes, even during winter).
Prayer: God, we thank You for simply being present. Even when we forget to acknowledge You, You are still here with us. Help us to praise You through all seasons, especially the winters of our lives. We ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
P.S. Here is a song that has been a favorite of mine for some time now. Maybe like Nicole Nordeman, you too will come to see God in every season.
Aside from tree pollen causing my sinuses to act up, I love the season of spring. I love how each day brings new changes to the landscape. One day a bush is nothing but bare twigs; the next it is a magnolia in bloom. Flowers are blooming, birds are singing, the earth is alive! Spring is a season where it is easy for me to see God in action.
The thing is though, we don’t spend our lives only in a season of spring. We go through times where everything is bright and God is easy to find (spring). We have times where we know God is present, but don’t actively seek Him (summer). Then, we have times where things get a little tough, and we have to be more intentional in seeing God’s presence (autumn). And finally, there are the times in our lives where it is just plain hard to see that God is there (winter).
The beautiful thing to me, is that we never stay in our personal seasons of winter. For just because it appears that our world has become lifeless and that God is nowhere to be found, we can find hope that God is still present. God is still at work. And most importantly, spring will come again.
I like to think that the disciples experienced this first-hand. They were called and became familiar with Jesus (spring). They followed Him, and watched the many miraculous works He performed (summer). Then they were foretold what would happen, but didn’t understand (autumn). Last, they watched as Jesus was tried, crucified, and later buried (winter). To use a common saying, the rug had been pulled out from under their feet.
Where was God now? How could the God they believed in allow His own Son to die such a horrible death? Were they next? How would they go on?
And yet, God was still at work. Life would spring forth again. Christ would rise. God’s presence would be made known once again to the disciples. They would then go on to make sure the message spread of Christ’s redeeming love and God’s continual presence in our lives (Yes, even during winter).
Prayer: God, we thank You for simply being present. Even when we forget to acknowledge You, You are still here with us. Help us to praise You through all seasons, especially the winters of our lives. We ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
P.S. Here is a song that has been a favorite of mine for some time now. Maybe like Nicole Nordeman, you too will come to see God in every season.
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