Seasons of the Soul

The leaves are turning. School is starting. Traffic is increasing. The Fair is swinging. Football games on my TV are streaming.

Fall is here.

It might be autumn outside, but what season is it in your soul?

I want to share four seasons your soul might be in - and Jesus’ promise for you in the midst of it.

Anxiety
Martin Luther once said, “I spent more than a week in death and hell. My entire body was in pain, and I still tremble. Completely abandoned by Christ, I labored under the vacillations and the storms of desperation and blasphemy against God.”

That might be the season your soul is in right now. Pain. Fearful. Shaking. Feeling abandoned by people and God. Desperate and Depressed.

Here’s some great news for those in the season of anxiety: Jesus is with you!

• Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)

• Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30) 
  

Distress
The brokenness of our world and our lives weighs heavy on our souls. God’s Spirit who lives in us knows that this world is temporary… and that God’s world is eternal. 

Could that be one of the reasons we experience seasons of heartbreak, anguish, and suffering? 

We see people who are innocent, hurt. People who are oppressed, abused. People who try their hardest to do the right thing, punished.

Injustice, suffering, and oppression weighs heavy on us. And if you’re in a season where your soul is just heavy, Jesus is here to encourage you.

• We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
  

• The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)

Restoration
There are seasons when our soul is working hard to restore that which has been lost. Whether it’s a relationship that seems to be on the mend, something you have felt God has been calling you toward gaining traction, or you simply feel like your relationship with God is on a growth curve - you’re in the process of being restored.

This is an exciting season! My encouragement is to remember the words of Simon Peter: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

And, trust whatever God is restoring in and through you is God’s work for His glory and He wants you to use it to love and bless the people around you.

• May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands. (Psalm 90:17)

Joy
Need I say more? Sometimes, we find ourselves in times when our soul is content and happy.

• I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” (Psalm 122:1)

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• You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy. (Psalm 30:11)

This is God’s work, too. . . His work of giving you a new heart and spirit.

• I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. (Ezekiel 11:19-20)

It doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges. However, it does mean that God is growing you up.

• Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4)

For sure, there are more… What other seasons of the soul have you experienced? Drop me an email at pastortim@oslc.com and let me know.

Let’s end with some hope: in every season of the soul, God is with us and wants to grow us up. Through every season of our lives and souls, we are being stretched, strengthened, and sustained by Jesus.

So, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

Indeed, walking with Jesus through every season of life and faith with others is worth it - wherever you are!

Love you!