How to Take note of the seasonal shifts

Observing the Seasons

This week has seen a marked chill for those of us in the United Kingdom. It may appear to have gone from summer to winter without any intervening fall, as some have speculated. Indeed, the sudden decrease in temperature has had an impact on us.

It made me reflect on the ebb and flow of the seasons in my own life as well as in the church, the country, and the globe. But how often do we really pay attention to the changing of the seasons and let it motivate us?

My own personal experience with loss has been like a harsh winter, and I have found myself compelled to react with sorrow. On the other hand, there are instances when the passage of time hardly registers.

I’m not one of those people that enjoys and welcomes novelty and change. For my own safety, I prefer that things remain as they are. Even though I find these periods to be quite disorienting and unpleasant, I try to keep in mind the words of Spurgeon: “When we cannot trace his hand, we must trust his heart.”

To ask God to reveal to me what he wants me to see and how he wants to transform me through trying times has been a great assistance to me.

In my experience, God embodies these four attributes: love, peace, power, and justice. And yet, I look about me in the present day, and I see situations and circumstances that are at odds with these facts; individuals laboring, and others stomping on them, to achieve where they want to be, or to remain where they are.

Many of us will have felt the cost of living problem and the abrupt decrease in the pound directly, and many of us will have friends or family members caught up in the fighting in Ukraine – or the storm in Florida.

The world is full with injustices, and many of them persist right here at home. Even though we may be anxious and worried, I think God longs to provide us with calm and solace. However, I also think he intends to motivate us, both spiritually and practically.

Do we pray God for spiritual vision to see beyond the natural conditions when we sense a change in season, as I believe we can all agree there has been a shift in the political and economic climate?

This week I have been reading the book of Daniel, and I have been so moved by the visions and dreams that Daniel had, and by how God helped him understand them. When life becomes confusing, we may turn to God for wisdom and insight.

Just recently, I’ve been compelled to continue petitioning God for guidance and solace in light of certain trying circumstances within my own family. There’s usually more to the story than meets the eye, so I’ve also been wondering what the changes in the political and economic arenas imply and how I should be praying.

There’s no doubt that we’re in the midst of a time of upheaval, and I believe this is an invitation to pray for our country and for our voices to be heard as God’s ambassadors of justice and wisdom.

Let us pray right now for our leaders, that godly advice may reach the ears of those who are making choices. But let’s also consider what we can do on an individual level, both near and far.

I find it very beneficial that Pete Greig and the Lectio365 app provide useful direction on how to pray for our towns, country, and globe.

The social action charity Jubilee+, for example, has prepared a valuable guide on how to react to the developing problem, and there are many other such organizations as well. It is not necessary to let the season render us immobile.