Another year has come to pass.
Isn't it amazing to be still breathing?
The waves of time have crests and troughs,
Last year had its own joys and its sorrows,
smiles and tears, hopes and fears,
dreams and wishes, pain and comfort,
victories and defeats, failures and success,
mountains and valleys, darkness and light,
and through it all,
God's still on His throne,
'My child, don't fear! I've got it all under control' ...
The Bible is full of God's promises to his people. When there are around 3573 of them (according to bibleinfo.com), some become more popular than others.And then, there are those we like for personal reasons, these are the ones we tend to remember the most. I've been thinking about one of the lesser known,often neglected and rather unappreciated of God's promises.
Found in the first book of the Bible, it is also one of the first promises God made to man, sadly many we fail to notice its importance. There are no conditions attached to this one. Free for all.
In Genesis 8:22, God promised all mankind,
“While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Winter and summer,
And day and night
Shall not cease.” (NKJV)
As long as the earth remains.....wow! Read that again. Let it sink in for a moment. You see what God has promised? For as long as you're alive,the earth will complete its orbit around the sun every year, it will spin around its axis everyday, the moon will remain in its place, and seasons will change.
No matter what on earth the global warming scientists tell us, we will have winters and summers,autumns and springs. God's promised that. He has given his word; there will always be harvest time. A time to reap, whatever we've sown. And if you have been busy planting the right seeds, there will always be a time of rejoice and enjoy the fruit. Always. Isn't that something.
What amazing hope we have, no matter what happens, no matter how long and harsh the winter, springtime will come. Always does, always has and always will, until the earth remains, now that's a promise.
As we enter into another year, this promise should fill us with hope, especially if last year has been a winter for you, a long, dark, cold, winter. If life's been tough, if hope deferred has made the heart weary, if shattered dreams have made you bleed, if your wounded spirit has scars to show, if all that darkness has robbed you of vision, if disease has crippled the body, if strong winds have swept you off your feet...
Rest assured dear friend, no night can last forever. No winter will last a lifetime. The sun might rise above the horizon any minute now, spring might just be around the bend. You might not see it yet, the waiting might seem forever, but one thing is for sure, its definitely coming! God's given you his word on this one.
