Through Every Season

God is not just God of the good days. Truth tells us to fear the Lord and avoid all extremes. Each day is made by God and for His glory.

“The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziah. The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses and Miriam. The sons of Aaron…Johanan the father of Azariah (it was he who served as priest in the temple Solomon built…Jozadak was deported when the Lord sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar…These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the Lord after the ark came to rest there. They ministered with music…They performed their duties…Here are the men who served…Asaph, who served at his right hand…the Merarites, at his left hand…Aaron and his descendants were the ones who presented offerings on the altar…making atonement for Israel, in accordance with all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.” 1 Chronicles 6:1-49

The Levites were the people who served God. Some ministered with music, and some served in less celebrated ways. All had roles to play in glorifying God. Some on the right and some on the left. Some with songs and some helping with the sacrifice. We were made by God to glorify God, and our lasting legacy will be our family and how we serve God. How are you serving?

Within this chapter, which was mostly recorded by the males in a family, we see famous children: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. People who helped lead others to freedom. At the same time, Scripture records Jozadak, who was in charge when the people were taken captive. Each person was loved by God. The love of God should not be measured by good or bad, dwelling in the land or days of exile, freedom or captivity.

The chapters today confront how we look at life. Do we fear the Lord? Do we see His hand at work in all seasons, and can we glorify Him no matter what we pass through? Hills or valleys? God does not disappear in dark days. He is the one who makes atonement so that we can see His love is always at work, regardless of whether we are comfortable.

“We have heard it with our ears, O God; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days…With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our ancestors; It was not by their sword that they won the land…it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them. I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory…But now you have rejected and humbled us; you no longer go out with our armies. You made us retreat before the enemy, Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. We are brought down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground. Rise up and help us; rescue us because of your unfailing love.” Psalms 44:1-26

Have you ever been around people who talk about the good old days? People who look back and reminisce about better times. Be aware of how longing for times gone by can keep you from embracing the beauty of each moment. It is good to remember, but we were not made to live in the past. Do you ever find yourself looking back with longing? How does that affect your ability to be grateful for whatever you are going through?

David was feeling defeated. He knew that God was the one who gave victory, but he also had to learn that God can give defeat. The love of God is not to be measured by whether we like what we see. Life is not about us. The world does not revolve around us. God made the world and all that is in it. He sets the rules and controls seasons. His perspective is different from ours, and His ways are not just slightly higher, but planets apart from how we think.

What does David rely on to get him through times when all he sees are losses adding up? The unfailing love of God. David believed in his heart that God’s love never failed and was always working. It is the one constant in life and reminds us of the apostle Paul, who said God makes all things work for good. It may seem impossible to appreciate the present moment when you have experienced loss, but the love of God is there. Always working, always moving, always accomplishing His will for His glory.

“A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools. Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions. When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise— why destroy yourself? Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool— why die before your time? It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes. Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.” Ecclesiastes 7:1-20

Solomon walks us down a path that few travel until they face loss. We love to celebrate and rejoice. We love seeing God move and perform miracles, but Solomon said it is better to mourn. Is this true? If so, why? How does experiencing loss help us embrace life? Loss is a clarifier and teaches us to look beyond the present moment. It teaches us that the life of the flesh will one day fade. Neither pleasurable days nor painful days last forever.

What is good for us? To lift our eyes to the eternal. It is good to fear God and avoid all extremes. Life should have balance, and humility opens the door to holiness. How you look at life will determine your experience. Gratitude unlocks joy; grumbling unlocks offense. You choose. If you are upset at others or circumstances, wisdom reminds you that God is still working and tells us not to judge by how you feel. Have you allowed whether you like what has happened to you or around you to impact your devotion to God? Is serving Christ circumstantial?

Wisdom tells us to be present. Solomon says life will have ups and downs, but we do well to remember that we are not perfect. Solomon serves us a large piece of humble pie. All fall short of the glory of God. Period. Only God is perfect. All need the blood of Christ, and each of us was made to glorify God. God gets to choose what is best for us. Our job, our duty like the Levites, is to love like Jesus.

“Early in the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: Give them a message for their masters and say, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Tell this to your masters: With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please. ‘They will be taken to Babylon and there they will remain until the day I come for them,’ declares the Lord. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’ ””

Jeremiah 27:1-22

Is it possible that we have been blinded by always expecting happy endings and Disney movies? Where does the idea come from that following Jesus means a life of comfort and ease? When did life become all about us and what we want?

Jeremiah gives a message that no one wants to hear. He says you are about to be exiled, and the only way you will stay in the land I have given is by surrendering control. The word of the Lord says I made this time and gave Babylon the power to break your pride. How does this message hit you today? Are you someone who just has to have things your way? Do you have to be in control? Can you be thankful and love God fully regardless of whether the world around you is the way you want?

How many people claim to follow Christ but fall apart when they experience loss? Think of our political environment or economic ups and downs. Are we really going to base our belief in God or commitment to Christ on whether we like what we see? God has a better plan and calls us to be faithful no matter our current season. Even in the midst of exile, God provided a way to stay in the land He had given them. Truth tells us that the one unchangeable aspect of our lives that we can trust is the nature of God’s love. It is unconditional and unfailing.

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. I pray for them. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me…Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us…that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity…in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” John 17:1-26

Like Solomon, Jesus says change the way you think. Change your perspective. All creation was made to glorify God. He never prays for your life to be easy. He prays that you would be protected from Satan and let the love of God be seen by how you live.

Each of us has a different part to play and will have different social and economic situations and strengths. We are not to measure love by what we see. Some Levites served on the right and some on the left. They had different duties. David chose to write a song like the Levite musicians to help process his experience. He didn’t hide his feelings. He was honest, and he chose to trust that God’s love would make a way at the right time. Solomon awakened to the reality that, as humans, we tend to learn more when we go through loss than when life is easy. Jeremiah said sometimes faithfulness requires surrender. Each had to reshape their perspective and learn to trust God. How do you need to change how you are looking at the experiences of your life?

God does not promise us the road will be smooth or easy. Jesus promises that He will pray for us and protect us through the hardest times. What did He not pray? He never prayed that we would be removed from a world of loss, pain, or brokenness. Can you see the difference between His prayers and our prayers? We pray, God, fix it. He prays that we would be united with the Father. He prays that His love would flow through us. Our promise is that He is with us through each day. He weathers storms and calms seas. Our promise is atonement and unending love.

These chapters should change how we look at life. Circumstances change; Christ’s love remains. Can we be people who do our duty, declare the goodness of God, and reflect His enduring love through every season? The question is not, Am I getting what I want? The question we should ask is, Am I glorifying God at all times with all that He has given me?

So whether you feel like singing songs of celebration from the mountaintops or barely feel the strength to get out of bed, choose to give thanks and glorify God today. Let your life be sanctified by truth not the current temperature of culture. Let unity and oneness with Jesus be your goal. For in every season, He is good and His love endures forever.