seasons

Silence: Be still and quiet before God as we begin.  Until we make solitude, silence, and pray a priority, we can never hope to be the people and the ministers God created us to be.

Opening Prayer:  Thank you, O God, that you have made everything beautiful in its own time.  That includes the season I am currently in and the season you are inviting into next.  Help me to be open and attentive through them, so that I might hear your voice, see your face, and recognize your work.

Read: Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

Listen: What is God saying to you through his word today?  Write it down in your journal.

Reflect:

a season of letting go 

shed your leaves

let them fall

stand bare

stripped of cover

be who you are

for all to see

with only the glory

I have given you

don't reach back

don't try to stick 

the leaves back on 

their time has

come and gone

the new will arrive

as slowly as winter 

turns into spring

just be patient

it is my work

not yours

you can't hasten

the season's coming

you must simply wait

Respond: Which of the pairs from Ecclesiastes resonates with you for some reason?  Why?  What does it tell you about the season are you in?  What is God up to in you through it?  How is it beautiful?  What is it encouraging you to let go of so that it can make room for the new God wants to do in you?

Pray: Ask God to show you what season you are in and what he is up to in it.  Ask him what season he is inviting you into next and what you will need to let go of to get there.

O God, help me to embrace the season you have me in rather than resist it.  Help me to make time and space to understand the beauty of what you are doing.  And help me to let go of anything that keeps me from the season you’re inviting me into.

Rest: Rest in the arms of the one who sees you, knows you, and loves you.