For many, autumn is a welcome respite. Gold and orange leaves blanket the world in a cozy shawl of vibrant color, and cooler temperatures draw us toward a time of quiet contemplation. “Slow down,” nature seems to whisper. Gone are lush green grasses and blossoms ripe with life. A new season is upon us, and with it, new opportunities as things of the past drift away. It’s this way with life, too—seasons come and go in our lives, from nascent childhood to youth to middle age and eventually to our elder years. Ecclesiastes 3 expresses this beautifully, explaining,
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” - Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 NIV
As God promises in Genesis 8:22, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” And as Jesus teaches us in Matthew 24:32-33, in his larger lesson about signs of the end times,
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.”
Indeed, the changing of seasons is natural, expected, and perfectly normal in God’s perfect design for his world. And so it is for our lives, too. While sometimes we worry or wonder about God’s timing in the details of our lives—when will he cause this to happen for me, or when will he answer that prayer?—we can look to the constancy of nature to understand and even learn to appreciate the vast brilliance of God’s timing.
Here are five ways to embrace God’s timing during Autumn’s changes.
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When we want something we believe to be in line with God’s righteousness and goodness, we’re taught to pray to the Lord. Perhaps we hear “Yes” from God, but it hasn’t happened yet, and we become frustrated or worried we heard him wrong. Or maybe we hear “Wait” or “Soon” or even nothing at all, and we have no choice but to wait and pray, wait and pray. The waiting can sometimes feel interminable. Yet God teaches beautiful lessons in the waiting. The apostle Peter told the early church as it prepared for the return of Christ,
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." - 1 Peter 5:6
The Bible was written in Greek, and the Greek word kairos is translated as the phrase “due time.” Kairos means God’s perfect time, the “proper” or “appointed” time, the right time. This is also what we must do when we wait on God to fulfill a hope or dream that has not yet come to fruition. We must humble ourselves, trusting in and relying upon the Lord as we wait, like servants would wait on their master.
In autumn, as animals gather food for the winter or migrate to warmer climates, the season often brings questions about “when”—when will the leaves turn, the air cool, and the first snowfall? When will the trees become bare? Yet we trust this will happen at the “right time”—God’s time. Similarly, autumn is a beautiful visual reminder that God keeps his promises. Every year, no matter what life brings—storms or wars or other calamities—spring turns to summer, summer to fall, and fall to winter. Time marches on. We can trust that God’s goodness will prevail and that he keeps his promises. Psalm 32:10 reminds us,
“Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.”
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It’s an obvious but sometimes bitter truth: We are not God, and we control almost nothing. Even the things we think we control—our feelings, moods, health, and how we might react in a certain situation—can be impacted or influenced by invisible factors. A simple but deadly virus could alter our state of mind.
Autumn, too, is beyond our control. While we can bundle up against cooler temperatures, we cannot control whether the leaves change color or the winds get chilly. Instead of frightening, it can be quite liberating to know that the pressure and responsibility are off our shoulders. Only God is God Almighty. In Isaiah 45:7, God says,
“I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.”
In Proverbs 19:21, we’re told, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” We might not like that certain things are beyond our control, but that doesn’t change the fact that God is in command, not you or me. And God’s will triumphs.
Autumn is a visual reminder that no matter our advances as a society, such as learning to harness solar power to create electricity, God created it all. And God has said the seasons will continue “as long as the earth endures” (Genesis 8:22). So, as we wait, we can trust that God is in control. God’s will prevails. And if we have aligned ourselves with the Lord, everything will work out perfectly, whether this side of heaven or the next.
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Squirrels gather nuts, bears hunker down, and birds fly south as summer transitions to autumn and eventually to winter. Autumn teaches us much about God’s timing. Even though God’s timing is ultimately a mystery and beyond our control, there are still things we can do to prepare in the waiting. For instance, we don’t know when the leaves will turn or the harvest will end, but we can prepare in advance for what we know will come eventually. Similarly, we know the end times will come one day, but as Jesus says in Matthew 24:36,
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
Still, Jesus taught us there would be signs pointing the way—wars, earthquakes, famines, false prophets, and false messiahs. As Peter says in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. be ready, prowling lion.” While we are in a season of waiting, whether for autumn, for the end times, or for God to answer our own personal prayer or desire of our heart, we, too, should be ready. We should prepare our hearts, stay focused on God, live in as holy a manner as we can, and keep our spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Reading God’s word, the Bible is an excellent way to prepare. It helps us focus on what truly matters, even as the chaos and noise of the world attempt to drown out God’s message. As the squirrels and birds prepare during autumn, so should we.
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Peter said God’s plan will happen in “due time”—God’s perfect time. Still, Jesus told us we’d have some signs that help us recognize the events about to occur.
There are signs during autumn that the season is upon us: cooler temperatures set it, and leaves change color and then fall from the trees. The days shorten as the earth shifts from the sun on its axis. Certain autumn traditions or holidays occur that say, “Look, see! The time has come!”
Likewise, God sometimes sends signs during a time of waiting that tell us what is to come. It’s up to us to recognize those signs and discern what God might be telling us. Sometimes, people might have visions or dreams that serve as messages from God. Sometimes, people hear God speak to them audibly, through compelling thoughts, or a supernatural peace that floods them. Sometimes, God creates small opportunities that we can recognize as “green lights” or “open doors,” indicating something will come to fruition. Other times, he closes doors. Those, too, are a sign and message. After the flood, God sent Noah and his family a visual sign in the form of a rainbow.
“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. … Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.” - Genesis 9:13,15
When God rescued the prophet Daniel from the lion’s den, the king recognized this as a sign of God’s power and blessing upon Daniel (Daniel 6:25-28). Like autumn’s signs are all around us, so too are the signs of the Lord. We must learn to recognize them.
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Autumn is also known as fall, and for good reason. That is when leaves fall from the trees. Trees shed their leaves because it’s their time. It helps the tree conserve water and energy during a time of less daylight and warmth, and it helps the tree flourish and thrive. It’s a natural part of life. We, too, live now, but eventually, our earthly bodies age and die. Our souls live forever, but our bodies were not meant for this. This is also a natural part of life.
As the trees let go of their leaves, we can look to this as a reminder that sometimes, we must let go of something when the time is right. Perhaps we had a dream once, but God revealed over time that he has something else—something better or different—intended for us. This is not a bad thing. As Romans 8:28 reminds us,
“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Jesus said in Matthew 16:25, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. And Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” We don’t need to fear what is to come, for God is in command, and we can trust his plan is good and perfect. Autumn teaches us it’s OK to let go when the time has come.
Wherever you are in your season of waiting, remember: God sees and loves you. God knows what you need, and his plan and purpose are better than anything we can imagine.
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