Solomon writes in
Ecclesiastes 3:1,
"To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven." There are fruitful as well as barren seasons of our souls. God loves us dearly, but He never promises us a life free of pain. He often protects us from ever experiencing a certain trial. But at other times, He allows it. He has a plan and sticks close by to help us.
Contrary to the message of prosperity gospel preachers, there are going to be hard days and even hard seasons in life. You will have hard times, and it is not necessarily because you are doing the wrong thing. At times, you will give your very best with the purest of motives and intentions, but instead of blessings come more hardships; instead of bright sunshine days, more gloom and darkness.
Some of you are in
Winter right now. I know it is May and hot already in Texas, but you are in a cold, barren, hard time. You are wondering if the seeds you have planted will take root, sprout up, and bear fruit. I assure you they will, but it may not be like you think. Some of you are in
Springtime with signs of life; things are changing, but they cannot change fast enough for you. The spiritual chrysalis period, however, is vital and necessary. For butterflies to emerge from larva, transforming into something beautiful, well, it takes time. Some of you are in
Summer. This is an interesting time for you. You are waiting on God. Things are going okay, but you know there is more. You planted many seeds in the valley, and now you wait for the harvest. Then there is
Fall. Come on now... Fall is the time of harvesting, cooler weather, and football is back! You also have the World Series and so many other fun things. But most of all, you see the rewards of your labor. Your family prospers; your business begins to flourish; your church is in revival. People are being saved, baptized, and discipled in your church. Good times, praise God! There is a palpable unity and joy.
I have lived long enough and served in vocational ministry for decades, and I can tell you that I like Fall and harvesting way more than Winter and struggling. I have served four churches as lead pastor, and each one has been a blessing with both hard and wonderful seasons. But God is faithful in all seasons! I love
1 Corinthians 3:6-8:
"I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work."
I encourage you to keep walking with the Lord and being faithful to His call on your life. Some of you are going through some very painful and hard times. The good news is, it will not last forever. If you know the Lord, brighter days are coming, with the brightest of those days coming in heaven with Jesus!
If we can pray for you here at DFEA, feel free to send us your prayer requests at:
pray@dfea.com
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