Reverence and Awe

The winter is almost upon us. And this fact I will really know come 5:45 pm Eastern time (or 2:45 pm California time) this evening. As you're reading this I am probably somewhere in the air on my way to Toronto, Ontario Canada. Where it is literally freezing. When I land and enter the Toronto air I will officially be acquainted with winter this year. It's ironic because I just left the Caribbean about 10 days ago where it is basically still the summer. Then I leave Toronto and head almost directly to Oahu, Hawaii where I will be reacquainted with the summer I left just two weeks ago. Summer... Winter... Summer... Fall again... then a "wannabe" California winter. My body has no clue where it is!

It's interesting because our soul often goes through a similar transition. We know that as far as God is concerned, he sees us as perfect as a June day in Tahiti. But we may feel differently. We probably feel closer to a Toronto winter than a Caribbean spring (I know- Tahiti is not in the Caribbean... stay with me...). Spurgeon comforts us with the Biblical truth that God has made each season (Psalm 74:17). Whether we are referring to the season that is literally Omaha in February or Southern California in July in a spiritual sense, God is still its creator and therefore master. So, even if it is a New England winter spiritually, God could be the one who is sending the uncomfortable "sharp blasts of adversity to nip the buds of expectation." He is, therefore, then the one to whom we can cling with confidence. Spurgeon goes on to point out, "frosts kill noxious insects... raging diseases... break up the clods, and sweeten the soul." So if you feel like you're stranded in Siberia and seek the fire of the Lord like we all do so often, "let us draw [near] to Him, and in Him find joy and peace in believing. Let us wrap ourselves in the warm garments of His promises, and go forth to labours which befit the season."