Trust the Lord from Season to Season
Today our youngest daughter Ellie started another year of school. End of August is not so early to start school but her sister, Avery, has already been going for three weeks now. It's interesting how school seems to start earlier and earlier every year. Instead of the fall, school now starts in the dead of summer. Nevertheless, I still associate the start of school with the change in seasons from summer to fall (the 105 degree weather notwithstanding). For the kids, a new school year also means a new schedule, new classes, new teachers, and new experiences. In the Bible, the change of seasons signifies that change is constant and inevitable. It happens whether we like it or not. From time to time, all of us experience seasons of joy and sadness, refreshment and fatigue, gain and loss. And the things that cause change in our lives are usually beyond our control. I only WISH I could control the weather or the health and wellbeing of those around me or USC's ability to win all of its football games. But I can't.
However, I know that God has a purpose in all of the changes that take place in my life. God is sovereign and "He makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose." That's what Paul says in Romans 8:28. In Ecclesiastes 3:1, Solomon says "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens." You see, the seasons change, weather changes, people come and go, and the circumstances of our lives change. But through it all, we place our trust in our Heavenly Father, who does NOT change and is sovereign over all of these things. It may not take away the pain, sadness, and frustration we experience at times, but it offers us hope for better days ahead because God is in the process of using the circumstances for good. Not only that but God is with us in EVERY season of life. Though we may not be able to see Him, He is present in the cold rainy seasons, the hot dry times, as well as the lush green periods.
So as the seasons change, as the circumstances in your life change, whether it's winter, spring, summer, or fall, keep your faith in the Lord. Continue to place your hope and trust in Him -- for He is with you and is constantly working out His purpose in your life. Have a great week!
Pastor Darren
