Day 18

“He said to them, ‘It is not for you to become acquainted with and know what time brings (the things and events of time and their definite periods) or fixed years and seasons (their critical niche in time), which the Father has appointed (fixed and reserved) by His own choice and authority and personal power.’”

– Acts 1:7

The seasons of our lives shift and ever-change. We all have come to know through experiential knowledge that one season prepares us for the next. The Lord told me years ago to thank Him for the beauty in every season. Be encouraged that all believers can relate to the fact that some seasons are easier than others. It is easier to appreciate and value the seasons of bounty, goodness, rest, and breakthrough. But what about the seasons of waiting, of resistance, of trial and testing? Proverbs tells us that trials chisel us. That is not a beautiful feeling, but the outcome is. The preparation that takes place during these seasons can only be fully realized in the next season, when we can look back and say, “God, you had me the whole time. If I had not dug in during that season, I would not be where I am now, spiritually or in the natural.” In the winepress, the character of Christ develops in us, His holiness in us increases, and then people can see the beauty of the Lord on us (Psalm 90:17).

We do not have to be acquainted with the timing of events and seasons, but we can rest and rejoice in the fact that the Lord sees it all, watches over us through it all, and appoints seasons of our lives by His choice! This comes down to trusting Him. Do we trust Him enough to believe that by His personal power He has laid out the timeline of our lives? Do we trust Him enough to allow Him to see us through the tough seasons to a place of rest and breakthrough?

Do we trust Him enough to believe that by His personal power He has laid out the timeline of our lives?

It is not in our own strength that we progress through seasons. Often believers try, in their own strength, to advance to a new season prematurely. When we force doors to open and close, we step out of God’s will. When our flesh says, “I’m ready,” the Spirit of God may say, “Not yet.” We need to fine tune our intimacy with the Holy Spirit so we do not miss or spurn these prompts.

Reflect on the season you are in, and the one you came out of.  How does Acts 1:7 encourage you?

Your sister in Christ,

Niki