Text: Matthew 24:1-3, 26-35
Prayer Pointers:
For wisdom in the ways of God
For farmers and others who work in the fields
For the earth
For the Church both in times of stress and in times of triumph
So, in this time of waiting, we have watched winter fade and spring arrive. I have learned to enjoy the North Carolina spring, for it can disappear as fast as it arrives! Summer is always crouching at the door.
In his final days of teaching the disciples before the crucifixion, Jesus uses the seasons to talk of God the Father’s work. God is seasonal; there is a time of growth, a time of fallowness, a time of harvest, a time of promise. Sometimes God is actively tilling; sometimes God is waiting to see what will emerge from the soil. Sometimes God is protecting tender shoots; sometimes God is pruning wild growth.
Do not mistake our Lord’s seasonal work—especially when he seems “far away”—for faithlessness. God is faithful, always! But there are seasons in the Kingdom of Heaven, for, as one writer put it, “rain, snow, sunshine; heat and cold; bitter winds and gentle breezes; clouds and abundant sunshine; the Christian needs all of these to produce abundant fruit.”
Easter joy ~ Pr. Dave Brooks