Aren’t you glad the Lord God gave us (at least most of us) four distinct seasons? We can’t help but guess Spring came first amid the grandeur of the Garden of Eden. With all its flora and fauna, the juxtaposition of colors must have been breathtaking. We too are able to embrace each season for its special beauty (the verdant greens of spring, the warmth and comfort of summer, the rowdy colors of fall, and the severe beauty of winter’s snowy landscapes).
As we reflect upon the renewal of spring, let’s look at some encouraging words from Scripture.
Photo credit: Pixabay/jplenio
1. Sabbath Rest
“And He said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath’” (Mark 2:27-28).
After the dark days of winter, spring brings such refreshment with its longer hours of sunlight and the opportunity to be out of doors. As Christians, we are to take a sabbath rest each week — a time when we rest from our labors, just as did the Father after He created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 2:3).
It’s so important that He deemed it a holy day — a day to not only rest, but to reflect on our Lord and praise Him for Who He is (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)/ We remember what He has done, is doing, and will do, and who we are in Christ. Enjoy a sabbath rest out of doors this spring.
2. The Reminder of the Rainbow
“I have set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember My covenant that is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh” (Genesis 9:13-15).
Spring is a season for the cleansing rain that washes away the soot of winter and reveals the wonderful green shoots of long-awaited new growth. Thunderstorms sound like loud announcements of impending wonder as lightning streaks the sky. When the storms roll past and the sun shines on the sparkling colors of spring, we are often treated to a rainbow, sometimes even double and triple rainbows as if stacked one atop or beside the other.
If you get the chance to see one this spring (or anytime throughout the year), take a moment and thank God for His stunning creation and promises. Never again will He flood the earth and wipe out all flesh. He promised (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
Photo credit: Courtesy of Lisa Loraine Baker
3. Times of Transition
“And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years’” (Genesis 1:14).
There’s usually a transition time between seasons when the hours of sunlight either get shorter or longer. December 21 is the annual winter solstice — what we call the shortest day of the year because it owns the fewest hours of sunlight. But after a six day holding pattern beginning a few days before the solstice, the days start getting longer. This is because it’s how our Lord God ordered the seasons. As we experience the shift from winter to spring, let’s praise our Creator with awe and wonder and rejoice in His sovereignty over every aspect of creation.
4. God Blesses All of Creation
“For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).
Spring rains. They don’t just fall on believers, they fall on unbelievers, too! God makes sure to bless His creation with the means to produce life-sustaining vegetation to feed us and other members of His creation. We are inspired to share His goodness with others just as the Lord does.
When we describe to unbelievers how our sovereign God reveals Himself partly through His creation (general revelation - Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:19-20), we can point them to His Word — His special revelation, which includes the good news of Jesus Christ!
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/VolkovaIrina
5. The Colors of Heaven
“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters” (Psalm 23:2).
Is there any other color to match the greens of spring? Well, maybe the blues of spring skies, but when we think of the most prevalent color of spring, it’s green: dark green, forest green, sage green, bright green, etc. So many different shades of green can astound our eyes and imaginations.
How kind of the Lord to give us the verdant landscapes of spring, and we can praise Him for the sheer magnitude of just one color. This spring, imagine the colors of heaven and thank God for the foretaste of its beauties we have right now.
6. Look Up
“I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.”
Spring brings car rides into the country and walks through our neighborhoods and parks. Many of us live in areas where some hills are part of our landscape. Looking at hills cause us to look up, and as we do, we can stretch our necks heavenward and thank God for never leaving or forsaking us (Deuteronomy 31:8). He is our ever-present help (Psalm 46:1), no matter what our situation.
Photo credit: Pexels/Johannes Plenio
7. Sing Praise along with Creation
“The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy”
Can’t you just see God’s creation as hills encircle themselves with joy, the meadows cover themselves with flocks as clothing, and grain adorns the valleys? Can you hear them shout and sing to the Lord in sheer joy?
Of course it’s metaphorical, but what a marvelous picture those verses paint in our minds. Spring is like that in its illustrative and lyrical quality. Beholding God’s grand display makes us want to shout and sing in praise to Him.
8. The Cycle of Life
“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:25-30).
God has everything covered; we have no reason to be anxious about anything (Philippians 4:6). When we see the bare tree limbs and bare dirt of early spring, we wonder how outdoor life has fared through the winter. But soon buds form on the ends of tree limbs and lovely plant shoots seem to vault from the earth. Ahhh, God causes the cycle of life to begin anew with spring.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Gilitukha
9. It’s a Mystery
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end" (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
There are many things God allows us to know about Him, and still many more things that will remain a mystery, and that’s okay. Why? Because He’s God, and we are not.
10. Be Still and Listen
“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”(Psalm 46:10).
Springtime brings a sudden cessation of the stillness of winter when every man and creature seems to hibernate. But when the first migrating birds of spring arrive, the riotous noises blend into a swelling song of praise to their Maker — if we but sit still and listen. The bird chatter is their God-created form of communication, and as one calls to another, there is a silence as the caller waits for an answer.
Prayer is like that. It’s God’s way of hearing our special messages just to Him. But we can’t do all the chatting; we must be still and listen. This spring, take time to listen to the bird conversations, and rejoice in our Savior and Lord who listens to us.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Ray Hennessy
Originally published Monday, 01 April 2024.
