Have you wondered why the Lord lets us experience different seasons? He could have given us just one perpetual season. Why not spring all year round? Or fall, forever? Yet we cycle through life and death in the His world every year. Perhaps there are lessons in the changing of the seasons.
1. The changing of seasons reminds us that we are not in control. God is sovereign over all things.
Job 37:6-7 cites: “For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’; Likewise, to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength. He seals the hand of every man, that all men may know His work.”
No amount of our planning will have any bearing on the shift from summer to fall. We have no ability to give the earth instructions on when to release snowflakes or sunshine or torrential rain. That ability belongs only to our almighty creator, God, the only one who changes the times and seasons.
God brings about the changes in season because He created them. He is the Creator who sovereignly holds all things together. He holds the entire physical universe together, and moreover, He is sovereign over our lives also, so nothing that happens to us is too difficult for Him to handle.
2. The changing of seasons reminds us that Christ will return.
On earth, we will go in and out of seasons until Jesus returns and makes all things new. As the changed in nature signify the changing seasons, we can observe what is happening around us and know that each day we are a little closer to the Christ’s return. Jesus said, “Learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize that he is near–at the door . . . Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24:32-25).
3. The changing of seasons reminds us of God’s faithfulness.
Some years, we think that winter or summer will never end but then it always does. God has never failed to change the seasons according to His will. The prophet Isaiah helps us see how the regular changing of seasons relates to God’s faithfulness to us.
“For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.” (Isaiah 55:10-11).
Whether we are more inclined to see God’s faithfulness and sovereignty in the delicate beauty of spring, the heat of summer, the crispness of fall, or the cold of winter, we can know that God is faithful and Jesus will keep His promise to come back for us.
Be reminded that although our seasons change, our heavenly Father is unchanging. He remains the same, yesterday, today and forever. Psalm 102:25 – 27 tells us:
In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
and they will be discarded.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.
The story below is entitled “Four Seasons of a Tree.” Its premise is that each season brings its unique feel and visual characteristics and brings about different reactions in each person.
Four Seasons of a Tree (author unknown)
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted them to learn to not judge things too quickly. So, he sent each of them on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a far away. The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
The second son said no, it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed. He said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
The father explained to his sons that they were all correct, because they had each seen only one season in the tree’s life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are – and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life – can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, and the fulfillment of your fall. Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
The Bible also tells us about the importance of the changing of the seasons:
- “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven . . . “ (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
- “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
- “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22)
- “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near.” (Matthew 24:32)
- “He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning” (Daniel 2:21)
- “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
As we go into the beautiful fall season, let us seek God’s face to know and be obedient to what He has planned for your next season.