It is only the beginning of June, but for all practical purposes, summer is upon us. As the temperatures rise, our spirits are called back to the more pleasant days of spring. How quickly one season passes into the next! Passing seasons have not always been a part of the human experience. Seasons are the result of environmental changes produced by the Flood. Along with His promise never to destroy the world again with water, God promises an endless cycle of changing seasons, each with its own particular purpose (Gen. 8:22). Like successive waves driven across a sandy beach, each season is followed by the next, marking the passing of time with accurate precision.
Each season has its appropriate responsibility. Solomon observes, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Eccl. 3:1, ESV). Balance is found by using life’s opportunities in a timely manner. Unused opportunities disappear. Paul said, “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Gal. 6:10). It is a beautiful thing to behold God’s people sincerely engaged in doing good deeds (Tit. 3:14; Mt. 5:16).
Jeremiah’s expectation for His people was based on what he knew about their spiritual season. It was summer – a time for reaping a harvest of repentance. But, the prophet’s sorrow overwhelms him as he sadly observes, “Harvest is past, summer is ended, And we are not saved” (Jer. 8:20). Like rapidly diminishing light at the end of a long, summer day, their season was changing without their having repented. A foreboding new season was on the horizon – a season of painful discipline under the righteous judgment of God.
Are you approaching a change in season in your life? We don’t know what the future holds – but we do know the God who holds the future in His hands. There is a season for every matter under heaven. May God grant us the wisdom and resolve to faithfully pursue His will each day.
–Glen Elliott–