Seasons

I enjoy the beauty of the Tennessee mountains set aglow with their stunning hues of orange, red, and gold, exclaiming fall’s last hurrah before winter. However, in our immediate area, the unseasonably warm weather and rain have confounded nature’s cycle, creating faded and dried leaves, still clinging to their branches.

While considering the four seasons, I realized there is a correlation between seasonal changes and the spiritual seasons that we experience. “For everything there is a season” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). There is a time to be born and a time to die. Between those two events are cyclical spiritual seasons.

SPRING is a time of renewal and rebirth as we watch the earth surrender new growth at winter’s end. It is also the time when farmers go into their fields to plow and plant.

Plowing is important, because it prepares the soil to receive new life, and it breaks up roots, which prevent weeds from growing and choking out the new crop. Equally, Christians must prepare the soil of their hearts by uprooting all destructive roots of bitterness, unforgiveness, resentment, and anger, so that a good crop of blessings can come forth.

Spring rains will come at inconvenient times, requiring farmers to work long hours throughout the night as they seed their ground. This is powerful imagery for those seasons of life when unexpected challenges prevent us from moving forward with our plans. But like the farmer, we cannot allow those interruptions to dissuade and sidetrack us. Instead, God calls us to persevere in prayer and seek His plans and purposes, for He is our shelter and strength and is always ready to help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).

Spring’s rebirth and renewal are also a part of God’s kingdom. We see this call for “rebirth” in Scripture, when the Pharisee, Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, asked Jesus, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:4-8 KJV).

We entered the world as human flesh with an Adamic, unredeemed nature. Therefore, to be born spiritually, we must confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead and we will be save (Romans 10:9 NKJV). However, that is only the beginning.

John the Baptist said, “I have baptized you with water, but [Jesus] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33). For it is the Holy Spirit that gives wisdom, direction, discernment, comfort, peace, knowledge, and all things pertaining to God. Jesus received the Holy Spirit before He began His ministry and He tells Christ followers to follow His example by asking the Holy Spirit to indwell them.

SUMMER is referred to as the growing season when farmers plant their summer crops. Spiritually, the summers of our lives are those times of spiritual growth, as God reveals Himself to us through His Word and prayer. As we pray, He calls us to stop, refresh, and quiet our spirits in the refreshing of His Holy Spirit. “The Lord is [our] Shepherd. [We] lack nothing. He makes [us] lie down in green pastures. He leads [us] beside quiet waters. He refreshes [our] soul” (Psalm 23:1-3). He promises, “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint” (Jeremiah 31:25 NIV).

What does it mean to be refreshed? Refreshing follows repentance of disobedience, rebellion, unbelief, sin, and anything that opposes God and robs us of peace and joy. As we turn to the Lord, sins are wiped out and refreshing comes from Him. (Acts 3:19)

The antonym for refresh is to be weary. God wants to take us from weariness to His place of refreshing, where He strengthens, energizes, revives, restores, and awakens us to His plans and purposes. However, that spiritual strengthening and refreshing can only begin with prayerful communication with God.

FALL represents change, preparation, and harvest. The changing leaves tell us winter is near. Interestingly, leaves die and fall so that new buds may form on their branches, bringing forth life in the spring.

Leaves have a lesson for us. We often cling to what is comfortable and safe, because we are afraid of change or of losing something that is important to us. As with dead leaves that eventually release from their branches, if we refuse to release those dead and weighty things that hold us back, we will never experience new growth and blessings.

A harvest does not happen overnight. Like the farmer who, with great effort, prepares his land for planting, we must extend great effort in preparing the good soil of our hearts with patience, faith, endurance, and commitment to prayer and reading God’s Word. In that resolve, there must be a removal of “weeds”—old fears, worries, false beliefs, unhealthy attitudes, and choices that prevent God’s bountiful harvest from being produced in our lives.

WINTER is a time of death and dormancy when the earth rests. There are times in our walk with God that we come to a place of inactivity, which can lead to a disconnect from Him, if we are not careful.

The farmer is the perfect example of one who understands harvest and dormancy, because once the farmer has harvested his crops, the ground rests and remains cold and dormant until spring. Though the ground is resting, the farmer remains busy maintaining his equipment and making necessary repairs to insure everything is operational for springtime planting. His very livelihood and health of the farm depend on the proper care and maintenance of the farm equipment.

Likewise, our spiritual health and potential harvest are dependent upon our continual communication with God, studying His Word, and fellowshipping with fellow believers in a church environment. Without fastidious preparation and continual maintenance of the spirit and soul, we can lose the harvest as we drift away from God. And without preparation, we will not be ready for storms that will surely come.

There was a time when I felt disconnected from God, so I asked, “Father, why have I not heard from You?” He gently spoke into my spirit, “Because you do not spend time with Me.” Regrettably, I had allowed the cares and business of everyday life to rob quality time with Him. Thankfully, if we seek Him with all our heart, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). For when we seek His kingdom first and His righteousness, all our needs will be met (Matthew 6:33).

Just as the earth goes through seasonal changes each year, we are continually transitioning between spiritual seasons, “until we reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13-15 NIV).

PRAYER: LORD, help me to appreciate each season as a time for spiritual growth and spending time with You. I ask that You fill me with the Holy Spirit, Who provides wisdom and gives direction, discernment, comfort, peace, knowledge, and all things pertaining to You. In Jesus name, amen.