January 14, 2025 Seasons of Change
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
Read: Season of Change
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens.
Ecclesiastes 3:1, NIV
As I watched the leaves spiral stem-over-tip to the ground from my dining window, I sensed the shift from summer to fall and winter. The air whispered of change, and I felt God moving into this new season. The trees, which shaded us during summer’s heat, released their leaves in surrender. Their season of activity ended, but the memories, growth, and lessons lingered.
Like the trees, we, too, must release what has been, making space for the next new gift God will offer. Sitting before the Lord, we may lie in a season of dormancy with bared souls, yet we still live in His Spirit as we quietly prepare for the new work He is stirring within us and our communities.
We glimpse only fragments of what autumn and snows of winter may bring, but in God’s hands, every season equips us for the next and for His glory. The past holds its treasures, yet we must loosen our grip to receive the gifts of peace and purpose God has planned for the days ahead.
So, we yield. We must yield as Mary yielded to God’s call to bear His Son, as Elizabeth yielded her barrenness to God’s faithfulness and goodness, and as Anna embraced widowhood to proclaim the Messiah’s arrival. We release our plans for His. Whatever “new” God ushers in—gain or loss, fullness or stillness—it comes as a gift.
In yielding, we trust His plan to renew, build up, and restore us, as He weaves our lives into the greater work of His creation, His kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.
Reflect: What is something from this past season of life that you sense God asking you to release? In what ways can you practice yielding to God’s plans, even when they feel uncertain or unexpected?
Pray: Heavenly Father, You are the Lord of all seasons, weaving beauty and purpose into every moment of our lives. Help us release the past with gratitude and embrace the future with trust, even when we cannot see what lies ahead. Fill us with Your peace as we wait, Your strength as we prepare, and Your joy as we step into Your newness of the season ahead. We trust in Your goodness and rest in Your timing. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
By His Grace,
Gloria Ashby
Lay Leader