I know that everything God does will last forever. Nothing can be added to it or taken away from it. God acts so that people will fear him. Whatever exists now has already been, and whatever will be has already been. God makes whatever has already passed come again. (Ecclesiastes 1:14-15 EHV)
Happy Day After Easter! Hopefully you, too, had a day filled with church, family, and the presence of God.
My Bible Recap readings have taken me into the book of Judges, the time in Israel’s life when they didn’t yet have a king but were ruled by God and the judges that God provided from within the people. As you probably know, much of Judges is a recounting of the people of Israel crying out to God for help in the face of a threat (usually military), God sending a judge/leader/rescuer, the problem is subdued/conquered, the people follow God for awhile but then descend into idolatry or other sins, and then cry out to God again – starting the whole cycle over. In Judges this cycle happens over and over and over. In some ways it’s a very discouraging book because the people God loves keep getting caught in the exact things God warned them to avoid.
This caused me to think about other cycles – good and bad – in our lives. Some cycles God has set up for our good, like the four seasons and the 24-hour day. Some behavior cycles can be destructive, like descent into drugs, alcohol, gambling, spending, or other addictions. Other cycles just “are,” like the life cycles of birth, growth and development, adulthood, and death. This week my life has cycled through most of the school year, and we’re working to finish the school year in the next month to get ready for my son’s wedding. This week was a deadline for the planning for the arts camp I do every year. This week we bought 15 baby chickens to add to our flock, and our ewe is expecting twins – a new experience for us, but just a part of the life cycles of animals. This week we are waiting for the weather to warm up and the landscape to green up; eventually the trees will leaf out, the bird choruses will swell, and even the insects will return. Spring will be welcomed (mostly) enthusiastically. (Who likes mosquitoes?)
Wherever you are in your personal cycle of life, in the cycles of your activities, in the cycles of your world, I invite you pause in God’s presence, take a deep breath, and recognize where God is (or isn’t!) in your life. Thank him for his presence, ask him for his leading, and trust him when you are starting a new thing.
Happy April!
God of Seasons and Cycles,
High King of Heaven, Creator of the Universe, God of our days, we give you praise for your lovingkindness and faithfulness. Thank you for the amazing seasons in life you have created, and for the many cycles that you help us to create in our lives so that we may honor and serve you. Help us to not be like the Israelites in the time of Judges who repeatedly forgot you as Lord and turned to sin. Free us from our bad habits, addictions, and everything that does not line up with your perfect purposes and plans. Holy Spirit, align our hearts, wills, and spirits to you so that all our activities and cycles can be infused with your Presence. Help us to trust you in seasons of struggle, to allow you to comfort us in our seasons of sorrow, and to rejoice with and in you in seasons of joy. May all parts, cycles, and seasons of our lives honor you, we ask in Jesus’s name, AMEN.
There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven—
A time to be born and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 AMP)
As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. (Proverbs 26:11 KJV)
One generation goes and another generation comes,
But the earth remains forever.
Also, the sun rises and the sun sets;
And hurries to the place where it rises again. (Ecclesiastes 1:4-5 AMP)