Seasons in the Bible

Fall is knocking on our door!  The amount of daylight is shrinking, the leaves will soon transform into golden crisps, and pumpkin everything will appear.  The change of season brings changes into our lives as well. What will fall and the upcoming winter bring??  Don’t let the change of seasons bring worries.  Our creator Himself ordained the four seasons in the Bible!

These past few mornings have me feeling so grateful for my sunroom, which faces east.  I go out there in the early morning to greet God’s sunrise. 

I relish the warmth, the surrounding quiet, the sound of the birds waking up, and the constant thrum of the insects.  My morning time out there is coming to a close, and it’s a sad day when it’s closed up in the fall.

I know it is inevitable. But I’m comforted knowing God Himself ordained the 4 seasons in the Bible.

4 Seasons in the Bible

After the flood, God promised to never again destroy the earth, and promised:

“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”  Genesis 8:22 NIV.

And by His creative Hand:

“You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.”  Psalm 74:17 ESV.

He is in charge of the season’s change:

“He changes times and seasons…” Daniel 2:21a ESV.

And Jesus’ own words: “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.”  Acts 1:7 ESV.

Every change of season should remind us of His sovereign promises, His creative power, and His timetable.  God created seasons and they will last as long as the earth remains.

This consistency in the change of seasons can also remind us of the consistency of our God. James spells it out for us:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”  James 1:17 ESV.

What a great perspective to have when the seasons change!  Instead of dreading the changes, they can be reminders that our always consistent and unchangeable God keeps His promises.♥ 

For Everything There is a Season

The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us that God appointed a time and “a season for every activity under heaven.” 

We all experience birth and death, sadness and joy, good and bad times. What remains constant is that God is right beside us during each divinely appointed season of our life.

When life seems out of control, God is not.  (Oh, how I need this reminder right now!)

Biblical Seasons of Life

God created nature’s seasonal changes for His good purpose, and He uses spiritual seasons in the same way.

God takes us through changing spiritual seasons throughout our life. He uses them to shape and mold us into who He created us to be.  Just as His physical world goes through periods of growth and change, He has plans for our spiritual growth and change.

Moving through Spiritual seasons builds our faith and brings us closer to Him.  No matter what season of life we are experiencing, He wants us to take His hand and walk side by side with Him.

Spiritual Fall

Fall brings us cooler temperatures and falling leaves.  This “cooling off” and “falling” can mimic itself in our lives through loss (job, health, or relationships).

It can also be a time when God calls us to let something in our life fall away.  Holding on to things we shouldn’t invites trouble into the new season.

Fall brings spent flowers and unattractive looking plants. But before the first killing frost, our perennials plants are still alive; gathering energy and “recharging” for the next year’s growth.

Winding down from a busy season can leave us feeling “spent.” Spiritual fall brings you rest and a time to reflect and recharge too. Allow yourself to wind down and recharge in this season.

Is God calling you to let go of something in your life that is interfering in your relationship with Him?

Are there past mistakes you need to let go? It’s a common source of stress and keeps us from focusing on goals for the future.

Spiritual Winter

God made winter with a good purpose.  (I need to keep telling myself this as I bundle up in blankets and layers of clothing.) He knew the earth needed a time of deep rest. And likewise, there are times when we do too.  Even God rested after all the work of creation!

Animals hibernate in winter; our plants and trees are dormant and bare.  They don’t die but are in a season of “suspended animation.”  Life exists in the roots and core of the plant, conserving energy until it’s needed, and the conditions are just right.

Nature doesn’t resist the season of deep rest, and neither should we.

The leafless trees of winter may look barren, but they are showing us how to be patient, stand firm in harsh conditions, and wait for the exact right time to be productive. Spiritual winter is a time to take stock, be introspective, and pray about next steps.  It’s a time to plan what new “seeds” you can plant in God’s garden when spring arrives.

Spiritual Spring

Spring- the season where life renews and bursts forth in a flurry of color and growth.  I love to see the trees and bushes push out tiny shoots of green. They restore my hope! The long season of winter and the dormancy it brings is over.  Spiritual spring is the time to “plant” those plans and ideas we formed in our winter season.

Spiritual Spring also reminds us we are new creations in Christ.  The seeds that are planted will bloom and grow as we soak in His Son. The blessing of rain falls in our lives to give us needed living hydration.  We feed on His Word to grow strong.

Spring is a time to sow seeds.  What seeds have you planted? There can be no harvest in your life or in others without planted seeds!

Meaning of Summer Season

Summer brings warmth, refreshing breezes, and periods of relaxation.  Our times of light in the Midwest stretch out to 12-hour periods.  That allows for all the joys of outside recreation and activities.  We “throw off” the clothes that hinder us and break out the shorts and sandals.

We “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12:1) in our spiritual summer season too.  “Everything that hinders” may even include things that are good, but if they impede putting forth our best effort in our Christian journey, they need to go.

Take stock of your life and see what you can throw off in order to “travel light” for Him.

Nature’s summer is also a season of maturing growth in the plant’s life cycle. Spiritual summer is a time of maturity in our spiritual growth.

How are you maturing in your faith?  This is a season of building on your foundation.

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Understanding Times and Seasons

We are to take each season that comes, strong in the realization that God’s timing is perfect.  He has a plan for the seasons of your life and knows the timing of each one- beginning to end!

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you…”  Jeremiah 1:5 ESV

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  Jeremiah 29:11 ESV.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 continues with this encouragement: “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

He is in control and working out even our uncomfortable, sticky seasons into something beautiful.  The circumstances of our seasons may sneak up and challenge us, but they are never a surprise to God. Keeping this in mind brings comfort in any situation.

In every spiritual season, ask the One who knows and designed your life’s plans, “Lord, what would you have me do for you today?”

Embracing the Seasons of Life

Each season brings opportunities to grow in our faith, set and redefine goals, and seek His purpose in our lives.  Each season can bring spiritual growth, joy and laughter, but they are never perfect.

That lush summer season I love so much also brings an abundance of weeds to deal with.  They choke out the good in our lives.

Long dark winter nights can leave us restless or lethargic.

Every season can bring strong, crippling storms that wreak havoc.

Our spiritual seasons are no different.  God wants us to see the beauty and the blessings in each one, and trust Him through the difficult parts.

Our seasons change, but He does not. The world rests in the hands of the One who created it. We can walk boldly through each season because we know He promises to equip, guide, and love us.

God is abundantly generous in bestowing his grace upon us.  Watch how He faithfully works in your life, in every season.

What seasons in the Bible do you identify with in your life?  What are the challenges? The joys?

Blessings!

AnnMarie

Related Post: Finding our Way Through Life’s Desert Seasons

All Scripture is taken from the NIV unless specified otherwise.

Photo Credit: Pixabay, Canva