Lessons From Nature: "...at the set time"

Sometimes as Christians we become impatient about the things that God has promised will come to fulfillment in our lives. This impatience can even often lead to anxiety, fear, doubt, and faithlessness. While reflecting on my own periods of impatience recently, I happened to walk outside and beheld the long awaited beauty of the Autumn season. The above pictures were what I saw - a view so beautiful. The Lord used what I saw to speak greatly to me. 

1. God is a God of seasons: on this side of the world, we experience drastic changes in weather. We have Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall or Autumn. Every season has it's time frame and period of fulfillment. When it is time for Winter, we see the 'fruits' thereof, thus is likewise for the other seasons. That is how God also works in our lives - according to season. The bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:1 "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven..." Whether you are trusting God for a job, marriage partner, admission into higher institution, fruit of the womb, promotion, etc, God will give it to you according to the season that He has ordained for you to receive it. It was so with Abraham and Sarah in the bible. God promised them a child in their old age. Although it seemed impossible according to human understanding and logic, yet, God fulfilled His word "at the set time" Genesis 21:1,2. He didn't fail. Therefore, no matter how long something is taking to be physically manifested in your life, don't falter and waver keep abiding in Christ, stand upon the promises of God, keep praying and don't give up! There is a "set time" in your life, the Lord will not disappoint you, your eyes will behold that which you have longed for just as Abraham and Sarah lived to see the birth of their promised child in their old age as promised by God!

2. God is a God of Order: The order by which we experience different seasons here on this portion of the universe has never changed. We have never seen snow fall in Summer nor have we encountered hot, humid weather in the Winter time. In addition, the seasons never switch places - they follow a distinct order that has been since the beginning of the world. "Let all things be done decently and in order"-1 Corinthians 14:40. God has so fashioned it that Spring follows after Winter, then Summer, next is Autumn and the cycle begins all over again with Winter. The alphabet also follows such an order beginning with A and ending with Z. But sometimes we want the occurrences in our lives to take a 'jumbled' uncoordinated effect when God has set it to operate like the alphabet and like the seasons - in perfect harmony and order. Has impatience led you to live a 'scrambled' kind of life? Are you so tired of waiting that you have settled for less than what God has prepared for you? All you need is to be patient, abiding and wait for the beautiful, orderly and glorious unfolding of God's plans and purposes for every area of your life - one after the other.

3. God is faithful to His Word: As the order of the season never changed and are consistent yearly, and orderly, unfailingly reveal itself "at the set time", so also should we learn that if God can show us that he can be faithful in fulfilling all of these seasons at their set time, he can be trusted to fulfill all of our hearts desire that are in alignment with His will for our lives "at the set time." He is a faithful God! The bible tells us in Matthew 6:30 AMP "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and green and tomorrow is tossed into the furnace, will He not much more surely clothe you, O you of little faith?" If God can take care of the insignificant flowers of the field that is alive today and dead tomorrow just as the leaves of the trees fall during the Autumn season and die in preparation for Winter, God can surely take proper care of you! You are more precious than the leaves because you have a soul and the breath of God is in you. Have you given up on God? Do you harbor bitterness against God and perceive he has forgotten about you because the thing/s you have been asking Him is yet to come to pass? No, He hasn't forgotten about you. In fact He is actively working on that request. As long as you have given your life to Jesus Christ, and have confessed your sins and are living a sinless and holy life, God delights in you and thus has not forgotten about you - you are his beloved child, and He will be more faithful to His word in your life than he is to the grass of the field. Keep believing.

4. God fulfills His Word of promise, and makes one's life beautiful: The change of color of the leaves during this time of the year is one that I anticipate. I love the different shades of color and the brightness and richness of hues that God paints for us thorough nature. It is indeed beautiful. But it is only beautiful because this is it's God ordained season. This beauty is temporal, but when we allow God to put things in the proper perspective in our lives it is a definite and lasting beauty to behold! "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time"-Ecclesiastes 3:11. The secret of experiencing the beauty of God in our lives is to wait for his time, not our time. His timing may be prolonged, but that is because he is making sure that He perfects the beauty of whatever it is that you are desiring from Him. We need to pray for the patience to wait for His timing, and to not jump ahead of Him. I pray that the Lord will enable us to wait for Him no matter how long it takes and to also trust Him as the faithful one to graciously fulfill His word and promises in our lives in Jesus' name, amen.

5. God will fulfill His promise "at the set time": Take a look at the picture above. Have you noticed that not all of the leaves have turned orange, yellow, or red? Do you see the striking contrast even though this is the season for these leaves to turn color? Well, you may be at the season of life where it seems like everyone around you is getting a new job, promotion, buying a new house, a car, is getting engaged, or planning their wedding, or having babies. All you have to do as a Christian is rejoice with them. The bible says in Romans 12:15 "Rejoice with them that do rejoice...", don't be resentful of their joys because your time will come, and in fact it has come in Jesus' name! Those green leaves will all eventually turn a different color. It is all a matter of time - just have a little more patience.

"And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God hath spoken to him" Genesis 21:1, 2. What has God spoken to you? How long has it been since that promise was given to you of the Lord, 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 20 years? Wait for Him. As He did it for Sarah and Abraham, he will do it for you as well for His word/promise will not go back to Him void, it must fulfill the purpose for which it was spoken concerning you (Isaiah 55: 11).

I pray you are encouraged by this. May the Lord fill our hearts, lives and mouth with countless testimonies as we faithfully await his perfect timing of divine visitation and the physical manifestation of His will for our lives in every are of it in Jesus' name - amen!

-Charity