Trusting God in Changing Seasons

 

By: Sarah Geringer 

For everything there is a season,
    a time for every activity under heaven.
2 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT

The first and last cosmos flowers bloomed in my garden yesterday. They must have "known" that a frost warning was in effect overnight. These lovely flowers reflect God's glory as his creation slowly goes to sleep this fall.

On my prayer walk, I contemplated the brief nature of autumn, my favorite season. Leaves burst into bright colors, but only for a few weeks. A day of wind and rain can bring most of them down. The whole landscape changes as the trees shed their leaves, and it happens so quickly.

As I breathed in the scent of drying leaves, I thought about this: We expect the changing seasons. They are no surprise to us. Fall has come every year, and it will continue. It's a change that's on God's appointed schedule.

This change is expected, but other changes aren't, and they are so jarring. The sudden medical diagnosis that leaves you reeling. A marriage problem you didn't see coming. A prodigal child abruptly leaves home, three appliances go out in one week, or you are rear-ended or side-swiped. These changes can alter our lives' landscapes, especially when we didn't see them coming.

We must remember: God is in control of all our changing seasons. The ones we expect and the ones that blindside us. 

We can trust God to be our anchor in the seasons that blow us around like so many autumn leaves. He is like the steady oak tree that stands firm, year after year, towering in majesty over the other trees.

Since God appoints everything for a certain time, you can trust him fully. He knows exactly when the next season of life is coming, and exactly long it will last. By choosing to trust him when the seasons of life change, your faith will grow.

Here's a prayer to encourage you today:

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for your unchanging character.

I want to trust you more each day.

Help me turn to you first in changing seasons.

In the changes I expect, make my faith strong.

In the changes I didn't see coming, be my anchor.

May I gain greater faith in you

as I choose to follow you closely in each life season.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Want to trust God more in life's changing seasons? Check out my book, Newness of Life: Trusting God in Times of Transition.

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Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings and God's peace to you,

Sarah Geringer
Finding Peace in God's Word

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