Here on the Texas Gulf Coast we’re thrilled that summer has passed and autumn has arrived! This change gives us hope that we’ll soon have a break from the heat.
I’m generally pleased when we change from one season to the next, even when we transition to summer and I know the heat is coming. This is partly because I like the order that the seasons give to our lives, but it’s also because the seasons help us better understand God and help us make sense of the time we live in while we wait for eternity. Not sure what I mean? Check out these 5 biblical truths we can learn from the changing seasons.
What the changing seasons remind us of about God and time
God, in His sovereignty, has created an order for all of life’s happenings
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
We like to think that we are in control of these things, but the reality is that we are not! Though we don’t always understand why He does what He does, we must trust that God’s plans and timetable are wise, just, and good.
God’s love and provision are on display through the seasons
“Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The Lord smelled the pleasant aroma. The Lord said in his heart, ‘I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake because the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth. I will never again strike every living thing, as I have done. While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.’” Genesis 8:20-22
According to these verses, the seasons are a blessing from God that give us the opportunity to sow, water, weed, and harvest in time. In a very literal sense, these activities are necessary for our survival.
God loves to create beautiful things
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1
Each season brings with it amazing sights and sounds. In the fall, we see a dazzling array of colors as the leaves change. In the winter, we see the brilliant white of snow. In the spring, we see the bright colors of blossoms and hear birds singing. In the summer, we see lightening-filled clouds and hear loud booms of thunder. These sights and sounds remind us that we serve a God who was and remains personally involved in creation.
We reap what we sow
“Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Galatians 6:7
The rhythmic pattern of sowing in one season and reaping in another reminds us that seeds grow into plants that yield produce. Without fail, the produce yielded by a plant is the type of produce associated with the seed that was sown. In other words, apple seeds produce apples and dandelion seeds produce dandelions. However, apple seeds never grow into dandelions! The same is true in the spiritual realm. If we sow to our own flesh we will reap corruption. Likewise, if we sow to the Spirit we will reap eternal life (Galatians 6:8).
God is unchanging
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
God’s unchanging nature stands in stark contrast to the changing seasons. When the seasons change, we see changes in weather, foliage, and the amount of sunlight we have. We also see our children grow taller, our hair become greyer, and our possessions become worn. However, we don’t ever see God change. He, and His promises, are unwavering.
Final thoughts
As we witness seasonal changes this coming year, let’s not just appreciate their beauty or the order they give to our lives. Let’s remember that we can see God in nature:
“But ask the animals, now, and they shall teach you; the birds of the sky, and they shall tell you. Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach you. The fish of the sea shall declare to you. Who doesn’t know that in all these, the Lord’s hand has done this, in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?” Job 12:7-10
Do you enjoy watching the seasons change? What things have you learned about God from watching these changes?
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