For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Song of Solomon 2:11-13 (ESV)
One of the most prominent characteristics of life in the state of Indiana is the changing of the seasons. Understandably, this change is not unique to Indiana, but it seems the frequency of the changes may be unique. We may experience more than one season in a week’s passing. Cold, blowing and accumulating snow on Tuesday, and a balmy 70 degrees on Thursday. Folks in this area are known to say, “If you don’t like the weather here, just stick around for a few hours, it will change.” Although it has become a well-studied science, the weather is an unpredictable factor in the world in which we live.
Science has discovered ways to attempt to predict whether you should bring an umbrella along as you head out at the beginning of your day, or if you should wear beach attire. We depend upon the weather forecaster we listen to on TV or radio and trust they have studied the conditions well and can make an accurate assessment of today’s weather and how it will affect us. But, as we know, those predictions and forecasts may be occasionally flawed.
So, the seasons come and go as they have for centuries. Each area of the world experiences those changes in climate as they are prescribed for their area. We adapt our lifestyle and behavior to fit the current season. We complain when today is too hot or too cold. We may dream of a life where the temperature is consistently warm, or cold, depending upon our preference.
Thinking about all this seasonal change brings to mind that God created the earth, and a part of that creation was the setting of the seasons. Nothing God planned, in His “forecasts” or “predictions,” was ever flawed or off the mark.
The word “season”, however, does not always refer to a specific time span during a calendar year. Season often refers to events which happen “in due time, or at an appointed time,” as in Titus 1:3 (KJV). God’s promises to His people come to fruition in those due time events, according to His perfect plan.
While His people, Israel, were in bondage in Egypt, God had a plan in place for their time there and for their eventual release from the slavery of which Pharaoh appeared to be in control. God causes all of His plans to happen in the “season” which is according to His plan. His timetable is set and unchanging; it is predictable and accurate. We see this fact recorded in Exodus 12:40-41 - “Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day all the Lord’s divisions left Egypt” (NIV), as God promised Abraham in Genesis 13.
Again, we see the accuracy of God’s work in His promises of things to come in their own season in Galatians 4:4. Paul states that “when the time had fully come”, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights as sons.”(NIV)
So, while we Hoosiers here in Indiana will likely continue to complain about the seasons and the weather which accompanies them, we can rest in the assurance that God’s plan and His promises will not change like the weather. We can trust in His steadfastness to His Word, and when the time has fully come for His plan for each of us, the event will happen in due time.
Author – Gary K. Fair
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