A New Season... and a New Song!

Yesterday I realized that you can actually know the exact moment when summer ends and fall begins!  I came across an article discussing the seasonal change and it declared that the autumn season would officially begin at 10:21 AM ET.  It seems that this event called the September equinox is based on a specific, reoccurring event with the movement of the sun across the sky.  Fall begins the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator which is the imaginary line in the sky above the earth’s equator – from north to south.  This happens either on September 22, 23, or 24 – every year! (See:  https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/september-equinox.html)

Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a way to accurately predict when the seasons in our lives would change?  With the coming of the autumn season I have begun to think about the cooler days and nights and all that this entails… Like, I have to get some kerosene for the new portable heater I purchased at the end of winter last year!  Suddenly the thoughts of a small generator for those days when the power goes out rise up in priority.  Do I need to get a snow shovel this year?  Are the cars winterized?  What must I do to protect the plants from frost?  How is Piper going to handle the colder months ahead…

But on the other hand, with the coming of fall we will be able to enjoy relaxing on the back deck without the summer heat and humidity that causes sweat and an abundance of gnats that just seem to love to buzz around your ears, eyes and neck.  Then there’s the reduction of the frequency of summer rains!  I guess every season has its lists of positive and negative events.

Looking back now, I can attest that I never imagined how much our lives were about to change when we went off to Bible school back at the end of 2006.  In many respects it was like jumping from the heat of summer into the freezing cold that occurs in the heart of the winter months.  It became evident very quickly that there was not going to be any transition seasons like spring or fall!  Our season changed… and it changed VERY rapidly!

Our home life changed, some of our family relationships made a drastic turn from positive to negative, our church changed, and our friendships changed, which in reality was the best thing for us as we learned who our true friends were.  Jobs and incomes changed, vehicles changed and with the advances of the attacks on my wife’s health, my whole outlook and priorities in life changed!  Suddenly the things I planned, hoped and dreamed for upon our return from school dulled to the needs of giving first class care, concern and prayer to her.

But once more… every season also presents its positive aspects.  For us it has been a time of drawing closer and closer in an intimate, experiential knowledge of the love of Christ and a clearer understanding of Papa God, His Word, His leadings, and of His power!

And through it all, “He placed a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our
God.  Many will see this and worship (him).  They will trust the Lord.” (Psalm 40:3 God’s Word ©)  This was one of the main scriptures that helped to lift, direct and give us the earnest expectation of God’s best for us and our family throughout the 1990’s.  Lately it has come back to me as a demonstration of Papa God’s constant care, nurture and love for us in this new season.  I am beginning to see that with each new season, He also will give us a new song… as we seek Him first in the midst of all the changes.

In the next verse the Lord gives us a vote of confidence for the path we chose from the moment we stepped back onto California soil in 2009.  It declares “Blessed is the person who places his confidence (or expectation) in the Lord and does not rely in arrogant people or those who follow lies.” (Psalm 40:4 God’s Word ©)  I was flabbergasted when I looked up this verse in the Apostolic Bible Polyglot Version (an English translation with a Greek interlinear gloss and is keyed to a concordance) for a couple of the words it uses specifically explains what we experienced.  It describes those who the blessed individual did not choose to follow as those who look to “follies and false frenzies.”

 

According to Dictionary.com this refers to people who are “devoid of truth and appropriateness” and yield to “craziness and madness!”  These were some of the exact words that I used in my attempts to explain and understand some of the comments we received when we sought to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33 MKJV) instead of yielding to the fears that encapsulated some near to us.

Then the Psalmist writes of the praise and thanksgiving unto Papa God that we have been proclaiming in recent months in response to the outcome of our staying the course to the two previous verses declaring: “You have done many miraculous things, O Lord my God.  You have made many wonderful plans for us.  No one compares to you!  I will tell others about your miracles, which are more than I can count.” (Psalm 40:5 God’s Word ©)

Are you going through a new season in your life today?  If so, have confidence in the fact that Papa God has your back!  He desires to walk you through it, to give you a new song and a testimony of His lovingkindness that you will broadcast throughout the course of your daily lives.  Remember… “Blessed is the person who places his confident expectations in the Lord…” and not in people who might just steer you wrong!  No one knows your specific situation and needs better than He does!

Have a great weekend, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Who am I expecting to give me a NEW SONG today?”