Seasons Of Change
We spoke last week of boldness versus fear and part of what we explored was we sitting in a place of safety not wanting to move or is it time to move, and we are stuck in familiar habits or ways of doing things. Let me refresh you of what was spoken last week.
So, this week let’s explore a little in the in the books of Habakkuk and Ecclesiastes where God talks about visions and seasons.
Habakkuk 2:1-4
I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me.
And what will I answer when I am corrected?
Then the Lord answered me and said,
Write the vision.
And make it plain on tablets that he may run who reads it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time
But at the end it will speak. And it will not lie.
Because it will surely come it will not tarry
Behold the proud his soul is not upright in him.
But the just shall live by faith.
Both came through different.
Rampart i= a wall of a castle or walled city with a stoned parapet and sometimes a moat around it
Here is God making a promise to Habakkuk.
And asking him to have faith to live by faith.
Now your faith is only as strong as the person you are leaning on who are you leaning on ?
Habakkuk was crying out and complaining to God about all sorts of things he is telling God I cant take any more in other words he is telling God you are not doing enough to fix these predicaments.
I think we have all been there at some point in our journey.
God then comes back and says to Habakkuk here is the vision but you’ve got to wait for it
In other words, the answer but not now later
And we want to know now not later.
Faith is messy faith is a struggle you will still have fears and doubts and just like Habakkuk we embrace God and we wrestle with God and we question God and we get answers that don’t always make sense these struggles are real but we are not alone in them and like Habakkuk we have to draw on our faith and trust that God knows what He is doing and we have to run with it because God is going to fix things and we can either shrink back or step out in hope. You can waver in doubt or you can walk by faith
We need to always be living and believing by faith that God has our future planned and if we trust and believe these visions will keep us focused on what He can do give us hope for what is ahead of us. However, if we do not keep moving and do our part, we can get stuck.
Ecclesiastics C3 V 1-8
V1 to everything there is a season a time for every purpose under heaven.
Right away in verse 1 it is teaching us that every purpose in our lives is a season.
What is purpose = intention, resolution, an action it’s a reason for something to be done in other words its about taking action to do something.
It is about change.
Change also means that you are in a season of transition.
Let’s think of some purposes in general when we might take action in our lives.
- Giving our lives to Jesus
- Change of Job
- Getting married
- Having a family
- Moving house
- Changing church
Let’s explore some of these examples because they all involve purpose and change in our lives. And it would be good to hear from some of you when you knew that you there were changes that God was speaking to you about and in obedience just followed Him and what the outcome was when you done them.
V2 teaches us there is a time to be born and a time to die these are times in which we have no choice as God has already said in His word that He choses when where and how long.
Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Jeremiah 1:1 says.
Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you I set you apart.
Jeremiah 29:11 says.
I know the thoughts (plans) I have for you to give you a future and a hope.
He is the only one who knows when we are born the plan for our lives and when we die, and we seem able to accept this and we never seem to question this???
So why do we find it difficult when we know Him as our saviour to move into a different season?
I also believe that our seasons are more about us growing into a place of trusting that God does really know what he is doing and He is waiting on us getting ready to move.
If we are fully trusting Him and hearing from Him, then we know when he is moving us from one season and taking us into another and different season Amen.
Isaiah 43:18+19 reminds us to,
Forget the former things.
Nor consider the things of old.
Behold I will do a new thing. (That is God will)
Now it shall spring forth:
Are any of you in a season of change and not sure what is next perhaps you have been going round the same mountain for some time? perhaps it’s time to take a step but fear of not knowing or not being in Gods will is holding you back? only you can decide. It is always hard never easy, but faith is what matures and helps us to grow in trust, however when you do take that step-in faith you have a sense of things starting to fall into place and it is only when you look back and see the results that you realise this and that is what makes it easier the next time because we never stop growing learning and maturing Amen