Spring is Coming
There are four seasons throughout the year. The meteorological seasons are based upon the annual temperature cycle whereas the astronomical seasons are based upon the position of the Earth in relation to the sun. The four meteorological seasons of spring, summer, fall, winter are each broken down into groupings of three months based upon the annual temperature cycle as well as the calendar. The four astronomical seasons are determined by the Earth’s position in relation to the sun. These four seasons change with the two solstices (sun’s path is furthest north or south of Equator) and two equinoxes (sun directly above Equator). The solstices mark the shortest and longest daylight of the year while the equinoxes are day and night being of equal length.
While it is still only February, and Mother Nature is probably not yet done with winter, spring is coming! Spring, that lovely season of new life, vibrancy, greenness.
The seasons of life so often mirror the seasons of spring, summer, fall, winter. Some seasons we feel dormant and dreary. Other times, there is a vibrancy and brightness. Winter does eventually turn to spring. Spring leads us into summer. Summer becomes fall, and soon winter is upon us again. And depending upon the season of life we find ourselves in, our mood, our emotions, our outlook on life, our attitudes, our actions, our thoughts, vary, sometimes greatly. That season called “dark night of the soul” often brings despair and hopelessness. When the grass is green, we tend to have a much better outlook and demeanor than when our life is not so green.
We have a God who is in the business of bringing new life to that which is dead. We are all born with a sinful nature (Psalm 51:5), and thus, considered dead (Romans 5:12). God gives us new life, through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus, when we commit ourselves to him (Ephesians 2:1-5). God can bring rain amid the drought. Today, let’s look at a verse found in the Old Testament book of Zechariah – “Ask the Lord for rain in the spring, for he makes the storm clouds. And he will send showers of rain so every field becomes a lush pasture” (10:1).
Ancient Israel did not have irrigation systems and was dependent upon rain to water the grain. Farmers relied on the “early or former” rains in October and November to soften the ground after summer’s blistering heat and the “latter” spring rains to ripen the grain. I see this verse challenging us to be bold and ask God to bring blessing and prosperity, even as the soil around us is parched and barren. I also see this verse saying that the condition for receiving blessing and prosperity is that we should seek it from God rather than idols. Idols in this context being any source other than God.
Let me be clear. This asking for God’s blessing upon our lives is not the dangerous and false teaching commonly called the “name it and claim it” prosperity gospel, which says if we simply exercise true faith in Jesus Christ that we will in turn attain physical, material, and financial prosperity. That false teaching is more interested in receiving God’s goodies than it is his goodness.
So, today, no matter what season of life you find yourself in – spring, summer, fall, winter – ask God for showers of spring rain, the bringing of new life. And know without any doubt that even if the rain does not come today, our faithful and loving God is with you during your darkest and dreariest moments of winter. Spring is coming.
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