Living in the Midwest, which is known for its harsh winters, I always look forward to the first signs of spring. Every year, when February arrives, when temperatures are at their lowest and skies are frequently dark and gray, I find myself longing for the warmth of the sun, for the birdsong to return, and for bright flowers to grow where the icy months have left them barren.
The consistency of the seasons reminds us that winter won’t last forever, both literally and figuratively. In time, today’s difficulties will disappear. The Bible promises that one day the Lord will turn our tears into laughter, life will swallow up death completely, and His light will forever shatter the world’s long dark winters.
Jesus calls us to prosperity
In John 10:10, the Lord said that He came to give us an abundant life that exceeds all expectations. He also promised in many places in the Bible to bring joy out of hardship. As we recently celebrated Good Friday, what scholars have called the darkest moment in history, I am reminded of the words of Christ to his disciples hours before his arrest:
“Truly I say to you, while the world rejoices, you will weep and mourn; you will mourn, but your sorrow will be turned into joy” (John 16:20, NIV).
Some translations say, “Truly, verily,” or “Truly, verily, I say unto you.” In the original Greek, the words of Christ begin with “Amen, amen.” These words are repeated for emphasis and add weight to God’s declaration. The late theologian Charles Spurgeon once wrote:
“Our Lord used these words, ‘Truly, truly,’ to indicate a clear and certain revelation. When Jesus said, ‘Truly, truly,’ all doubts must end.”
You can also add an exclamation point at the end of verse 20. It’s as if the Lord said, “Hold on to this and don’t let your difficulties distract you from this reality. Your pain will not last forever. I have many good plans for you!”
We too can pray to remember the promises of Christ.
Father, thank you for the gift of spring and the new life blooming around us. More than that, thank you for your promise to replace the ashes in our lives with beauty, breathe life into barren places, and one day turn our sadness into celebration. As we navigate this often scary and difficult world, may we remain alert and fully receptive to every rainbow that breaks through the metaphorical storm. Help us to recognize and contemplate every manifestation of Your faithful love, and to stir our weary souls to praise.
Every morning we celebrate the glistening dew on the green grass. We celebrate the symphony we hear when crickets, buzzing cicadas, and nightingales sing together. We praise the vivid sunsets across the spring skies and the silvery moonlight that radiates your faithfulness every night. But we praise you, Lord, God, who “determined all the boundaries of the earth, and made both summer and winter” (Psalm 74:17, NIV). We know that You hold all things in Your strong yet gentle hand and that We trust You to work all things for our good, including the challenges of today. When circumstances overwhelm us and we temporarily forget these immutable and irrevocable truths, let us remind you of your heart and your ways. No matter how dark things may seem today, we trust that you will displace our darkness with your bright, life-giving light.
In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
To those who cling to a wavering faith
One aspect of the long, dark winter season is that it tends to weigh our hearts down with disappointment and defeat, whether literal or figurative. The longer we pray and wait for God’s salvation, the harder it becomes to live in joyful and hopeful anticipation. This is especially true when our desperate pleas seem to be met by God’s silence. This emotional space creates fertile ground for doubts to form. Does God not hear us? Doesn’t he care? Is God really going to bring good out of my heartache?
The Bible records the anguished prayers of many godly people who asked the same question. One example comes from the Book of Habakkuk, written by a prophet who lived decades before the Babylonians captured ancient Israel’s southern kingdom of Judah. This was a dark time in the country’s history, when idolatry, oppression, and injustice plagued the country. Habakkuk recognized this as well as the imminent threat. But unlike his contemporaries Jeremiah and Zephaniah, he does not speak of the rebellion and sin of the people. Instead, he directs his message to God, expressing his frustration and pain at the Lord’s apparent inactivity.
He begins his complaint with these words:
Lord, how long have I asked for help?
And can’t you hear?
I scream at you, “Violence!”
However, you are not saved.
why do you make me see disaster,
And let me see poverty?
Yes, devastation and violence lie ahead of me.
Conflicts exist and conflicts occur.
Therefore the law is ignored;
And justice will never be served.
For the wicked surround the righteous.
Therefore, righteousness comes out of confusion” (Habakkuk 1:1-4, NASB).
See his implicit accusation? It seems as if he is implying that the Lord is callous, indifferent, and unjust. At the very least, he is saying that in our current situation, we cannot see God’s mercy and care for us.
The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah makes a similar, if less direct, claim in Lamentations. After the destruction of Jerusalem, before the prisoners were miraculously released and returned to their homeland, he declared:
The Lord was swallowed up without mercy
all the dwellings of Jacob;
He was torn apart in anger.
Daughter Judah’s home base.
he brought her kingdom and its princes
fell to the ground in disgrace. …
The Lord is like an enemy.
He swallowed up Israel.
he swallowed all her palace
and destroyed her fortress.
He doubled his sorrow and lamentation.
For my daughter Judah (Lamentations 2:2, 5, NIV).
And in chapter 3 he wrote:
he chased me away and made me walk
In the darkness instead of the light.
Surely he turned his hand on me
Over and over again throughout the day.
he aged my skin and body
And broke my bones. he surrounded me and surrounded me
With bitterness and pain.
he made me live in darkness
Like those who died a long time ago.
He locked me in a wall so I couldn’t escape.
He chained me up.
Even if I scream for help, even if I cry,
He shut out my prayers.
He blocked my path with a stone block.
He made my path crooked.
Like a bear in ambush,
Like a lion hiding
he dragged me off the road and messed me up
and left me without any help.
he drew his bow
And he made me the target of his arrow.
he pierced my heart
With arrows from his quiver.
I became a laughingstock to the entire nation.
They mock me with songs all day long.
he filled me with bitter herbs
And he gave me bile to drink.
He broke my tooth on gravel.
He trampled me in the dust.
I am deprived of peace.
We have forgotten what prosperity is.
So I say, “My shine is gone.”
and all that I desired of the Lord” (NIV).
Those familiar with the Bible may remember that Jeremiah followed his allegations with beautiful declarations of God’s mercy, but not before voicing his unfiltered anguish. These and similar examples give us comfort when we find ourselves in similar situations. Through them, the Lord invites us to turn to Him in our suffering, to express the depth of our feelings, and to remember His unchanging truth.
In my experience, this provides important guidance on how to respond during a crisis. Often we want to skip the grieving and go straight to the truth. Sadly, many of us have learned to do this through bad theology that focuses solely on verses that instruct us to give praise and thanksgiving in times of hardship, while ignoring the scriptures found in Lamentations and Psalms that encourage us to give voice to the most wounded parts of our souls.
When we silence or diminish our hurt with forced hallelujahs, we inevitably withhold the deepest parts of ourselves from the One who knows and understands exactly how we feel and wants to help us through our crisis. This kind of avoidance can lead to self-denial, and if you do it too often, you can end up living a falsehood of who you are.
The Bible encourages us to turn to God in times of suffering and resolve our doubts and questions with Him. As a recent guest on the “Faith Over Fear” podcast noted, while we may not get the answers we want, such honest interactions tend to deepen our intimacy with our Father. This often also increases our ability to hear the voice of the Lord. In fact, God may use what we call divine silence to awaken our need for Him and to more acutely tune our ears to His voice. May we pursue God, holding fast to His promise to continue listening to our every cry during seasons when we feel unseen and ignored.
Lord, thank you for giving us space to vent our fears and heartaches. Although we may feel uncomfortable with the intensity of our emotions, the Bible assures us that our inner turmoil will not repel you.
We see a battle raging within us, fueled by doubts, doubts, and pain. Behind the Sunday morning hymns, there are times when we want to suppress our emotions. But you are asking for honesty in our innermost being. Because that’s where we experience you the most. Lord, give us the courage to share all of our fears, anger, frustrations, and anxieties with You. When we are overwhelmed with despair, may we cry out, “Lord, help us in our unbelief!” like the father in Mark 9 who seeks the release of his enslaved children. (Mark 9:24).
As winter’s ice melts, spring flowers bloom, and green buds sprout on once-barren trees, we remind you of your power to breathe new life into what seems dead. As the seasons change, we are reminded that the tough seasons won’t last forever. We believe that good things will happen because we believe that you are truly good. In fact, it is our trust in your goodness that gives you the courage to fully reveal yourself. Comfort us in our suffering, give strength to our weary souls, and speak the truths we most need to hear in our sorrow and confusion.
In the name of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, we pray, amen.
Photo credit: ©Pixabay/jplenio
Jennifer Slattery is an author and speaker who co-hosts the podcast Faith Over Fear and the podcast Your Daily Bible Verse with a team of six people. She has spoken at women’s groups and Bible studies, and taught at writers’ conferences across the United States. She is the author of Building a Family and numerous other books, and maintains a dedicated blog at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud.com.
She is passionate about helping people experience the freedom of Christ in every area of their lives. To find out more about her speaking engagements or to book her for your next women’s event, visit her online. Sign up here for the free quarterly newsletter and connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and GodTube.
