Grow what you can...

Living in Australia I had never considered the differences between here and the rest of the world. Did not really consider the differences in language, time, culture and seasons. When I began to talk with people from many different nations I came to realise just how monumental some of those differences were. Australia is second in the time zones just one hour behind New Zealand and from there, there are many hours difference to other parts of the world. Depending on the time of year, up to 17 hours between me and California. What is socially, environmentally and legally applicable in one place is not in others. We drive on the correct side of the road, in comparison to others that drive on the right side :).

And our seasons do not coincide with that of other nations. When it is Summer here, it is Winter elsewhere, or Spring or Autumn (that is Fall without an accent). What an incredible God to have worked it all out. I never realised that when it left here it went somewhere else. Each country is unique every hour of every day with where they are at. There are things that grow at one time of year here, that grow at an entirely different one somewhere else. There are things that grow and thrive in one season that will not in another. There are also those days between the new season in which a day may revert to the old season and take you by surprise, like planting your tomatoes and finding you have a late frost... bonvoyage tomato.

It is like that also with our individual walk with God. We find ourselves in different times, different stages, different levels of understanding, of healing of growth. We also find ourselves in different seasons. We know that there are seasons in all things, yet I for one had not considered that to be also in my walk with God. Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. I believe that to include our walk with God. I remember I first came to meet Jesus, was filled with the Holy Ghost, baptised in the name of Jesus and I was so fired up I would just pray for hours a day and sought preaching, that I could be fed. I then found added to that came a hunger to delve into the word of God. I would read and read and read. One day I realised I was not praying like I had been. I still sought the word through preaching, still read, but my prayer life had changed. I thought I had back slidden.

I pressed on, only to find at another time I was not seeking the preaching so much as I was studying the word. Hungry to have wisdom, knowledge, revelation and understanding. I would pray, and each time I tried to read I would get side tracked into study. Again I wept and repented for backsliding. I would pray like crazy and find I hardly read. I would read and read and find I did not study nor seem to be growing. And so on and so on. I would pour out to God repenting for backsliding.

One day I realised the same went with the battles I faced. I would find myself in a place of severe drought, of seemingly a stiff coldness from others, of everything being so sweet and growing rapidly or of being beat down so severely. I noticed I would come out of it, and it would be great, and yet reflecting back, realising I had seen these things before. I would repent of not learning or not listening. The circumstances were different, but the season was the same. It was in sharing with my pastor that I gained an understanding that in ALL things there is a season. Including in my walk and ways with Jesus.

The thing I learned was put succinctly by a Pastor friend just recently, 'pray in accordance with your season'. What I had to learn is what season I was in and pray in accordance with that season, be in accordance with that season. There is no point praying like it is winter in the midst of summer. That simply brings frustration at seemingly ineffective prayers, ministry, relationship. Pray and be with God appropriate to the season you are in. It lifts the frustrations, burdens, weight and feeling of total inadequacies and failure. It may not completely remove them, but goes a long way towards it.

I pray we all learn to know the seasons that we may be most fruitful in each one, I pray you are blessed and continue through the transitions between seasons with strength, joy, peace and confidence in the Lord. Jesus bless you richly.