Snacking from a snack plate on my sofa, I sit in the stagnant warm air in my bottom floor apartment in Bend, Oregon. A snack plate is a reminder to me of the lack of routine going on around here. It feels as if it has been summer for 9 years. The high today will be 93. And tomorrow, 100.
How much longer of this season of summer can I take?
I long for cooler days. The crunch of Autumn beneath my feet as the crisp air nips our cheeks.
In the midst of a global shut-in - it can feel as if we will never feel the next season quite like we did before, doesn’t it? How will we spread cheer in the winter with masks on our faces?
I take a sip of my cold coffee, and I’m quickly reminded that our seasons on earth echo the seasons the Lord has given us. If you look for it, there is a poetic nature in each quarter; a sanctification process exposing our truest self. Seasons are an outstanding representation of transformation. We embody this and we see our surroundings following that order as well.
In the first chapter in the book of Acts, we see Jesus with his disciples before ascending into heaven in conversation; instructing and teaching them about important details that would be useful to them. He shares intricate details that will help them and encourage them as he leaves earth to be with the Father. After sharing his heart with these men, they ask for more in verse 6: “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
Some bible teachers believe that question was inappropriate after Jesus had spent 3 years with these guys. They knew about the prophecies surrounding this question, but nonetheless - they asked. Eagerly. Why? Because I believe they knew they only had moments left with this humble man who taught them everything. This man was one they respected, loved, adored and he was about to leave earth, and they had one question to ask that if answered, they imagined it would bring clarity and perspective to their position for the rest of their lives. The political and spiritual nature surrounding that question, if answered, was of the utmost importance to them and their culture.
And what did Jesus say?
“It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;...” (Acts 1v7)
Reading those words caused me to ask the question we all have on the forefront of our minds in today’s hot political and spiritual climate in culture.
“Lord, will you at this time restore our nation and our families and our communities? Will you at this time restore us?”
I take a deep sigh. I feel like His disciples.
How long will this endless summer be?
And I hear him say softly to the corners of my heart and mind, recalling words I’ve read before: “Blessed is the man… whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season. And its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1v1-3)
Hear this: How I stand in this season, certainly affects how I run in the next.
The gift of the Holy Spirit in this time of our lives is the best present we could ever receive. From the Holy Spirit, we are able to draw out through God’s word, and powerful teachings our source of peace and joy in a very uncertain season. The length of which we do not know, but can be certain of, is that seasons on earth run their courses and eventually turn into a newness every 4 months. If our life and spiritual seasons respond and mirror the seasons we see with our eye, shouldn’t that restore some hope and healing to our hearts that we are not going to have to endure this stage of life forever?
I can have fruit in the midst of a summer drought. I can be filled to overflowing in our current circumstances. I can thrive by trusting the Lord when he says, “The Father is the one who sets the fixed dates and the times of their fulfillment.” (Acts 1v7 TPT)
In the Fall, when Autumn makes its home in our lives, and those leaves we crunch with our feet as we continue to go about our days, how then will we say we handled the season of summer?
Our seasons are the Lords. And with them, he may do whatever he likes, and we have the honor of partnering with the Holy Spirit to instruct us in the waiting. Normalcy of seasons may never look the same. I went from routine and structure to snack plates and cold coffee on my sofa during nap time. But I am prepared to wait on Him who teaches and instructs and promises that I don’t have to have all the answers, but we know who is in authority who does. My days may seem very hot and very long and very monotonous. But my goodness, do I have a hope of being a tree who flourishes in the heat.
Guest post written by: Samantha Warmack