For Everything There is a Season

 

Psalm 62:5-7

 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
  for my hope is from him.
 He only is my rock and my salvation,
  my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
 On God rests my salvation and my glory;
  my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

 

The past 2 weeks have been a season of trial.  Water leaks in our house, cancer surgery in our family, and a round of influenza hitting all 4 of us here have been keeping me busy and quiet on the blog.  It has kept me close to God, though, and I am thankful for that.  Though my physical body is quite tired and weak right now, my spirit is feeling extremely strengthened and firm in the Lord.  Praise Him!

As Ecclesiastes 3 tells us, there is a time for everything.  We will have seasons of blessing and comfort, and we will have times when life seems quite hard.  Knowing that circumstances change and come and go is important.  When a trial period hits, we aren't knocked down in shock, surprise or disbelief.  We are content and trusting.  We nod, knowing it is just part of the seasons of life, and we grasp firmer to our immutable, faithful God who is a firm foundation when the storms of life rage around us. 

We know that God uses hard circumstances to discipline Christians (sometimes), prune us (always), and teach us (always).  Knowing this, we trust God's sovereign hand if He allows difficult circumstances.  When we are healthy again, the cancer is gone, and the rain has passed, we will praise God all the more for growing us ever more in the likeness of our precious Savior.

Whether you are in a blessed, easy phase of life or in a hard, draining time, know it is being allowed by God for good and you are not alone.  I pray this encourages you and roots you in Biblical truth in your circumstances today.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8
 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
 a time to be born, and a time to die;
 a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what 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.