GOD OF ALL SEASONS
Genesis 8:21-22; Ecclesiastes 12:1-15
It’s November! Happy new month family. I welcome you all to the eleventh month of the year. Our theme for the month is God of all seasons. Nathaniel Bassey in his song ‘Wonderful Wonder’ wrote “Summer, Winter, Autumn and Spring … Jesus is the Maker of them all. In Genesis 8:22, God declared, …cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall never cease. Also, Ecclesisates 3:1 reads, there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. All of these point to the fact that seasons and times are controlled by the Almighty God. And as long as you belong to Him, your times and seasons are in His hands (Psalm 31:14-16). Just as William Freeman Lloyd (1824) wrote, ‘My times are in Thy hand, my God I wish them there’, leave them there.
You see, life is in phases, and in many seasons. There are good times, there are trying and challenging times; there are times when our faith is stretched to capacities we never knew we could bear. There are times when we have to wait, trusting God’s judgement and timing, believing that He knows what He is doing, and that He makes no mistakes. To thrive in the different seasons we go through in life, we need to have a right perspective. Perspective is key in understanding the providence of God, who guides us through the seasons.
To understand God as the God of all seasons, we need to understand His sovereignty over time. The God we serve is the author and controller of times and seasons. Daniel understood this well and he said, “…there is a God in heaven…He changes the times and the seasons…” Daniel 2:21. God alone determines the length of any season; He alone causes one season to end and another to begin. Seasons come, seasons go, but God remains solidly the same. The God of the harshest of winters is still God of the sunniest summers and the wettest fall. The God of the valley is still God on the mountain. Circumstances do not make Him any less than He is.
Therefore, in seasons of grief, He is our comforter, our strength, our stay and the health of our countenance… In seasons of lack and need, He is our sufficiency, our Provider, our Sustenance… In seasons of joy, He is our Song, our Joy, our Triumph, the Spring in our steps… In seasons of uncertainty, He is our Light, our Guide, our Way, our Assurance… In seasons of silence, He is our Teacher, our Mentor, moulding and building us, shaping us into His perfect will… In seasons of waiting, He is our Hope, our Reassurance, our Anchor, teaching us to trust even when we do not understand… He is Hope to those who are in seasons of hopelessness; a Father, Friend and Companion to those who feel forsaken…
In whatever season we find ourselves, God manifests Himself as who we need Him to be. Seasons actually reveal God to us. David wrote Psalms about who God was to him as he transitioned from one season of his life to another. We get to understand God as Shepherd when we need direction; we get to understand God as our Defence and Salvation when we feel helpless and threatened. Joseph grew more intimate with God through his trying seasons.The Bible records that until his word came: the Word of the Lord tried him (Psalm 105:18-20). By the time God changed the season in Joseph’s favour, he was set above and made a ruler in Egypt. At the end of it all, Joseph testified about how God’s purpose all came together.
It won’t rain all through the year, nor will it snow endlessly. The sun will shine, and there will be dry seasons, and together, these seasons beautify and balance nature. Different seasons though, but there is the God of all seasons who remains unchanged through it all. May He will cause seasons to change in your favour!
Two things to do about seasons
Embrace your season
People don’t fight against Winter or Summer, but they embrace each season as it comes and also learn to navigate the season. Similarly, embrace and try to know the season of life that you are in presently. God has a perfect time for everything in our lives. And to know the seasons of your life is wisdom according to Prov. 6:6-8. Ants are considered to be wise because they know the seasons of their lives, and they live according to each season. They gather enough food in Summer in preparation for their Winter. Likewise, wise people should know and understand their seasons, and live accordingly. Learn to embrace every season, and find joy in your journey through those seasons, not because of circumstances but because of Jesus’s presence in your life. Learn to rejoice in Life always, not because of a certain job or achievement, but because of the relationship we have with Christ. And knowing fully well that all will come together for your good.
Understand the purpose of each season
We must understand that God is sovereign over every season, and everything has a purpose (Eccl 3:11-12). The season you are in now has a purpose, and God knows how to make all things beautiful in His time. We ought to work with faith in whatever seasons we find ourselves because God does not abandon His own in any season of their lives. Therefore, trust in Him even when you do not understand fully or it is not convenient to trust. In our journey as Christians, the enemy of our soul wants us to waste our seasons, that’s why people always wish and yearn for things outside their current season, instead of focusing on the present. Remember that today is God’s gift to you, so enjoy it. You must let go of the past seasons, and do not live in the past. Do not borrow the future seasons as well, and do not run ahead of God! But focus on Him in the current season. He works in us the nature of patience, as we learn to trust Him through the many seasons of our lives (2 Corinthians 4:17). In this series, we shall examine understanding seasons, be committed to God in the seasons of your life, understanding God, and the appointed time. Come along.
EVENT TO LOOK FORWARD TO @MFH - NOV.
NOV 2 - MONTHLY PRAYER 9:00 PM
NOV 6 - FIRST SUNDAY - THANKSGIVING SERVICE 11:00 AM
NOV 11 - YOUTH HANGOUT 1 - 7:00 PM
NOV 13 - YOUTH/JEANS SUNDAY 11:00 AM
NOV 19 - MFH ACADEMY 4 - PARENTING IN 21ST CENTURY - 10:00 AM (ZOOM)
NOV 20 - PASTOR’S APPRECIATION SUNDAY
NOV 25 - YOUTH HANGOUT 2 - 7:00 PM
NOV 27 - EXTRAVAGANT WORSHIP 8:00 PM
EVERY FRI - CONNECT - - - - - - - 7:00 PM
WED & SAT - PRAYER MEETING: 9:00 PM