Changing Seasons

As I stood on top of Mount Carmel overlooking the fertile valley below, I couldn’t help but think of Elijah where Israel had started serving Baal and God was upset. Elijah prayed and it didn’t rain for over three years. Looking at that valley, I tried to imagine what it must have looked like after not getting any rain for years. I’m sure it was dry and barren instead of lush and green. The people must have been hungry and desperate. There was no telling how long that dry season was going to last. Eventually, Elijah prayed and the rains returned. The valley became fertile once again as pictured above.

Have you ever gone through a dry spell or a season that seemed like it would never end? Maybe you’re going through it now. When you’re going through it, you get hungry and desperate for God to answer and rescue you. Quite honestly, it can be embarrassing to go through these times. You start to wonder what you did wrong, and eventually begin the blame game. The good news is that these seasons don’t last forever. They may leave permanent reminders in your life, but those reminders should also point to God’s faithfulness in changing your season and carrying you through it.

Song of Songs 2:11 says, “The season has changed, the bondage of your barren winter has ended, and the season of hiding is over and gone” (TPT). I hope that speaks to you the way it did to me. God is working things out for your good even in the barren times. He is calling you out of your hunkered down mentality into a place where you can walk freely. You may carry the scars and effects of this season with you for the rest of your life, but don’t let them carry a root of bitterness. Instead, let God use those dry seasons of your life to provide hope and healing to others who will go through them too. When you leave the bondage behind that comes from those seasons, you’re able to produce more fruit in your life than ever before.