Peace in Winter
Summer’s secrets are revealed when Autumn winds blow. How much more the secrets of my heart before the wind of the Spirit?
I took a walk yesterday and saw a bird’s nest high in a tree. It got my attention because I am walking in a place much more northern than I live. Here the leaves have fallen from many of the trees and the things that normally lie hidden from view are laid bare for all to see.
It got me to thinking about the winter times in my spiritual walk when prayer doesn’t seem to penetrate the ceiling and God seems so far away. We’ve all experienced those times where we feel like crying, “Where is God when I need Him?” Of course He is right where He always is. It only seems like He left us. Perhaps it helps to realize that like the nest in the tree, God has allowed the chilly wind to clear away the clutter and reveal those hidden things we need to deal with.
I’m in a position where I need finances. Where will they come from? What can I do? Where is the job that I can do and enjoy? So many questions arise that as soon as I deal with one, another pops up. Where is peace in all of this? Maybe a more pertinent question would be, “Where is my trust?” I have noticed that most of my growth takes place when life gets the messiest. Those are the times I realize my need for the one who promises to never leave me. Beneath the voices of fear and doubt is another still, quiet one. I can only hear it when I make the effort to ignore the things that so urgently demand attention and lean in close. With my ear on His breast, I hear, “Be still and know that I am God. I have a purpose for you. It’s a purpose of peace and not for evil to give you a future and a hope” (Ps 46:10; Jer 29:11 MKJV).
The winter times in my life keep me pressing into God. It’s so hard to remember how desperately I need Him when everything is going along fine. I’m good at thanking Him but not so good at pressing in when it looks like I can handle everything. Because I think of myself as so much more independent than I really am, I’m thanking God for the Winter time. That’s when I lean on Him and find His strength is sufficient. There is a way through my present difficulties but I have to stop panicking, quiet my heart and listen. Sometimes the only way I can do that is to take a walk.
