FINDING BEAUTY IN YOUR WINTER SEASON - Seasons exist not only for life on earth, but for our life in the Spirit as well. Winter seems to represent loss, change, and isolation for us, all things we prefer to do without. The cold that drove us indoors was not meant to be conducive to activity, but to intimacy - “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is in the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.” - Cold, inclement weather, combined with increased sickness and long, dark days can induce loneliness or depression. We long for sunshine and spring, flowers and warmth, but winter seems unending. What’s true in the natural realm is true also in the spiritual realm. Seasons exist not only for life on earth, but for our life in the Spirit as well. We have times of new beginnings, (springtime), times of busyness and activity (summer), and times of great harvest (fall). But there are also times when God calls us into a winter season, and more often than not, we enter this season reluctantly. Winter seems to represent loss, change, and isolation for us, all things we prefer to do without.

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Finding Beauty in Your Winter Season

Seasons exist not only for life on earth, but for our life in the Spirit as well - winter seems to represent loss, change, and isolation for us, all things we prefer to do without - the cold that drove us indoors was not meant to be conducive to activity, but to intimacy

Deborah Perkins

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is in the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.” ~ Jeremiah 17:7-8

It is a rare person who looks forward to the winter season.

Cold, inclement weather, combined with increased sickness and long, dark days can induce loneliness or depression.  

Previously green grass and plants all morph to ugly, drab colors, taking our cheerful outlook with them.

We long for sunshine and spring, flowers and warmth, but winter seems unending.

Yet the Bible says that “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22, NASB).

In this case, what’s true in the natural realm is true also in the spiritual realm.

Seasons exist not only for life on earth, but for our life in the Spirit as well.

We have times of new beginnings, (springtime), times of busyness and activity (summer), and times of great harvest (fall).

But there are also times when God calls us into a winter season, and more often than not, we enter this season reluctantly.

Winter seems to represent loss, change, and isolation for us, all things we prefer to do without.

Recently, though, God gave me the gift of a winter spent with Him, and this season changed my entire perspective. It all started on a prayer walk I took in the fall.

I was walking along a quiet country lane near my home, at the peak of our New England autumn season.

The air smelled exquisitely crisp and clean, there was stunning, fiery color in the trees all around me, and I was alone except for some birds and squirrels making provision for their nests.

Spiritually, I was in a very fruitful and productive time of my life: active in my church, involved in several ministries, and seeing great answers to prayer.

I had taken this walk alone to seek God about the future, and He answered me in a rather unexpected way.

I had reached a spot where a magnificent, stately old tree stood before me. It was glorious!

The tree trunk’s diameter was roughly 4 feet wide. Its branches reached high above the other trees, fully extended, with gold, yellow, and red-hued leaves all throughout.

I stopped to marvel at its beauty, and the Lord spoke to me in His quiet yet unmistakable voice.

He asked me to observe the tree as representative of the Body of Christ.

He showed me that the base and roots represented Christ, and the branches the many denominations and churches throughout the earth.

All the branches, though different from each other, are part of the same root system.

He said that I had been among these branches, ministering healing in various ways to the people (the “leaves”) I brushed against as the wind of His Spirit moved me.

I had been enjoying a fall “season” spiritually, and loved the beautiful experience of harvest. 

What He asked me to do next was a surprise. He invited me to come back down from the branches, to move deeper into the trunk and root system of the tree.

When I heard this, my first thought was that the trunk was so ugly and barren in contrast!

Why would I want to leave such splendor and activity, only to be lost in a grey place lacking any real distinction?

Suddenly ashamed of myself, I realized that this was exactly what was said about Christ:

“For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He had no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.” - (Isaiah 53:2, NASB)

God was asking me to enter into a winter season of intimacy with His Son, and I found myself guilty of resisting because the idea seemed so unattractive!

You see, I was not “burnt out” from ministry at the time, a condition that often requires believers to take a step back and regroup.

There was no glaring sin in my life that needed to be dealt with, nor had I experienced any loss or setback which might necessitate my relinquishing responsibilities for a while. This was simply an invitation.

What I didn’t know then was how essential and life-changing this winter season would be for me.

In retrospect, I saw that He gave me this experience for the purpose of knowing Him better and replacing my dread of winter with faith-filled expectations.

I didn’t know how vital the winter renewal process was for a tree.

Through study, I learned that if a tree is denied its natural dormant stage, its lifespan is greatly reduced. 

Here was the principle of a Sabbath-rest, in living color!

I learned that a tree’s height and stationary location are both dangerous factors in winter, since it is more exposed to cold and cannot move to hibernate as animals can.

In order to survive, the tree stops making food (photosynthesis, or the process of converting energy from the sun into chemical sugars or saps), and turns inward.

Moisture must be drawn from underground roots to protect the tree from winter drought. If a tree loses too much water, cells are destroyed.

As winter approached, I was taking another walk through the woods and the Lord stopped me again, this time to observe a barren tree.

It was completely devoid of leaves, a spindly, grey structure with no apparent growth.

This time, He drew upon what I had learned about trees to instruct me: without the water of the Word, a believer will not survive the winter season.

As a gardener mulches or covers his trees to preserve warmth and moisture, so believers must immerse themselves in Christ and His Word in order to preserve and renew themselves.

This is not a time to serve (or in the case of the tree, to create food or expend energy), but a time of intimacy with Him.

By drawing upon the pure water of the Spirit, we sustain ourselves until springtime arrives.

The apostle Paul writes in Romans 11:18, “… remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.” 

Paul is speaking of the Jews here, but it is equally true of Christ, who is the basis and support of our faith.

In Revelation 5:5 22:16, Jesus is called the “Root of David.” 

In the very first recorded speech of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:10), we hear him saying, “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every good tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” 

And  Ezekiel 47:12 give us a prophetic picture of the believer drawing water from the river of life: “Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”

I spent my winter season digging deep into the water of His Word, and I not only survived but also enjoyed the process!

I found that winter, to Christ, is a little bit like sitting by a warm fire with your beloved; it is an enjoyable time of reconnecting.

The cold that drove us indoors was not meant to be conducive to activity, but to intimacy.

Our conversations grew longer, our understanding was deepened, and our love for one another grew.

We made plans for the future, much like a gardener would plan for spring.

And eventually, we itched to be outside again, sharing in the delight of warm springtime and celebrating like the lovers in the Song of Songs.

The rest from hard labor rejuvenated us, and we were ready again to emerge into the new things God had prepared for us.

I would not trade this experience with Him for anything, and can honestly say that I look forward to each and every spiritual season now, especially winter.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is in the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.” ~ Jeremiah 17:7-8

Deborah Perkins is a seasoned prophetic writer, teacher, and Christian leader with more than 35 years of ministry experience across denominations.  Her passion is to communicate God's heart to his people, empowering them to build the kingdom of God.
At God's request in 2013, she founded His Inscriptions, an online ministry devoted to helping people worldwide “Discover Life-Giving Communication with God.” Through her website, mentoring courses, and a weekly blog, Deborah offers discipleship to those who want to grow their relationship with God. Published books on Amazon include: Life-Giving Prayer,  How to Inherit Your Spiritual Promises, and Why Pray? Reasons to Reach for God.
A Wellesley College graduate, Deborah lives in New England with her husband, three wonderful children, one cat and a coop full of chickens. Deborah writes regularly for SpiritFuel, Bible Gateway, Tyndale House Publishing, and LivingBetter50. Learn more about Deborah or order her books on her Amazon author page.
His Inscriptions is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization, and receives support through the donations of readers and partners like you. To sow a financial seed, ​click here.

https://www.hisinscriptions.com/finding-beauty-in-your-winter-season.html#/

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EMBRACING THE LEAN TIMES - The man who trusts in God bears fruit despite the circumstances in his life. He does not shrivel when the heat comes; in fact, his roots go deeper into God’s grace. He continues to bear fruit in spite of his circumstances. Whenever a plant lives in an arid climate, the roots drive deeper and deeper into the soil to get the water they need. This forces the plant to develop a root system that is far beyond the normal plant because it is forced to go deeper to gain the water it needs. Sometimes God forces us to go deeper into the grace of His love in order to build a greater foundation in our own lives. These lean times are designed to accomplish this in us.

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Embracing the Lean Times

by Os Hillman

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.” – Jeremiah 17:7

Have you ever considered at what point a test becomes so difficult that you decide you can no longer trust in God and you must take over to solve the problem?

The prophet Jeremiah describes a situation in which the temptation to solve a financial problem can become so great that we trust in man’s way to solve it.

This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (Jeremiah 17:5-8).

Jeremiah drew a sharp comparison between the man who trusts in his own effort to solve his problem and the man who trusts in God when he cannot see the outcome.

The man who trusts in God bears fruit despite the circumstances in his life. He does not shrivel when the heat comes; in fact, his roots go deeper into God’s grace. He continues to bear fruit in spite of his circumstances.

Recently, a friend from South Africa explained to me that whenever a plant lives in an arid climate, the roots drive deeper and deeper into the soil to get the water they need.

This forces the plant to develop a root system that is far beyond the normal plant because it is forced to go deeper to gain the water it needs.

Sometimes God forces us to go deeper into the grace of His love in order to build a greater foundation in our own lives. These lean times are designed to accomplish this in us.

If you find yourself in this condition, ask the Lord who provides the water for our soul for the grace you need today to continue to bear fruit in the desert.

Os Hillman is the president of Marketplace Leaders, the author of twelve books, and writes a daily e-mail devotional called TGIF Today God Is First, which has over 200,000 subscribers worldwide
http://www.marketplaceleaders.org/embracing-the-lean-times/