In Genesis 8:22, it says, ‘While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.’ Seasons come and seasons go and while Singapore doesn’t experience seasonal change like some countries, autumn officially begins on September 22 in the northern hemisphere.
God is with us in every season of our life and change is a part of life. Change can be perceived as good, like springtime bursting forth: with a birth, new friendships or jobs. Change can be perceived as negative when moving into the winter season: a death or friendships ending.
Change is a part of life. It happens whether we like it so we must learn to embrace it. Change for me has been moving homes five times since we started the work of the ministry, and staying in two leased properties. It was part of my journey as we started Cornerstone Community Church.
A change of seasons can be exciting, and it can be very unsettling if we allow worries of the unknown to cloud our perspective, bringing with it feelings of fear, anxiety, indecision, tension, confusion, and hopelessness.
I’m thankful to God for His abounding grace, and I can trust that He’s in control, working out every situation for our good.
Sometimes the seasons didn’t seem significant, and I wondered why we were there. But they were necessary to make me who I need to be in God’s plan. This really helped me to stand when the going was tough. Life has progressed, cycles continue, and change happens whether it’s positive or negative.
Can seasons of change cause us to lose heart when it appears like nothing’s happening? It’s precisely during these times that trusting God has been the most challenging.
David spent a season in the wilderness where it developed him to be the king of Israel. The wilderness is desolate – it’s a dry, isolated place, a place where many want to throw their hands up and quit.
One day, David was tending his father’s sheep and the next, he’s anointed to be the next king. Saul had issued a death warrant on David’s life and he escaped to the cave Adullam, a remote region in Israel.
Experiencing good and bad times in our lives is normal and to be expected. Though it’s easy to hold onto our hope in happy situations, changing circumstances must not cause our faith to falter. Jesus promised in John 16: 33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Perhaps you’ll remember Joseph, who was rejected by his brothers, sold into slavery and spent time in prison. How did he deserve any of this done by his brothers?
Moses spent a season in the desert, and it developed him into a leader.
When you allow God to work on you, you’ll develop the characteristics you need to succeed. These seasons of change will bring you to the place where you’ve the capacity and strength to embrace.
Here are some helpful keys which guided me through challenging seasons. First, realise that you’re in it and to decide to press through by drawing close to God despite how far away He feels to you. Don’t wither, as your emotions are a part of change. Continue reading His Word but also talk to God – even though He’s quiet. God is there and He hasn’t left.
Psalm 1:3 reminds us, ‘And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he does shall prosper.’ While you’re waiting for God’s blessing, He’s ready to bless you with the gift of Himself.
We can grow closer to God in the wilderness than we ever could be in the palace. God is with His children when they’re in the fiery furnace. It’s not necessary to know the timing of everything that happens in your life. Some things happen quicker than we think, and some way slower.
Though we may feel like we’re alone in the wilderness, we’re not. It’s okay not to know everything but this one thing – that you’ll come forth experiencing faith and trust. God is with you. He has promised that He’ll never leave nor forsake you.
When Charles Spurgeon was in depression, this was his testimony, “I have gone to the very bottoms of the mountains, as some of you know, in a night that never can be erased from my memory … but, as far as my witness goes, I can say that the Lord is able to save unto the uttermost and in the last extremity, and He has been a good God to me.”
