The Hope of Spring

I just happen to be writing this on one of the colder days in February while waiting for what might be a pretty awful ice storm. Is there anything I want more than a warm spring day? When it is the coldest is usually when we desire the warmth of spring the most.

Can we even imagine what spring used to feel like after the year we’ve had? It was so long ago that many of us find ourselves falling deeper and deeper into the dark hole that is these long, winter months. Time seems to be taunting us as we wait very impatiently for those first tiny blossoms to appear and for the grass to start turning that bright shade of green.

Today I want to share some Scriptures that remind us that these cold winter days are just temporary and that there is hope in spring just around the corner. I pray that you will find this comforting as you try to stay warm!

Hosea 6:3

“Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.”

Isaiah 44:3-4

“For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children. They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank.”

James 5:7-8

“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.”

Joel 2:23

“Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the Lord your God! For the rain he sends demonstrates his faithfulness. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring.”

Lamentations 3:1 (And one of my personal favorites!)

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”

So, as you pull on yet another blanket to keep warm and grab your cup of coffee, I pray that you are reminded of this: whatever season you’re in whether winter, spring, summer, or fall, God has a purpose for that season. Maybe He is desiring that you wait with purpose for the next season to appear. Ask yourself these questions to give some perspective during what might be a cold and dreary winter season.

Reflection:

1. How is God asking me to handle this current season I’m in?

2. What can I do to speak the hope of spring into my heart and the hearts of others today?

Prayer

Father, we so desperately want spring to come and rid us of the harsh winter winds. But I ask that as we wait, You show us Your purpose in the season we’re in. Grow the hope of spring in our hearts today, but also teach us to find our hope in the warmth that only You can bring. Amen.