The brilliant colors of spring are beginning to appear, at least where I live. Some of you will have to wait a bit longer. Spring happens because earth is once again in position to turn its northern hemisphere towards the warmth of the Sun. On March 21, the spring equinox will occur when the equator is pointed directly at the sun. There will be exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. This not a random event. Neither is it an event governed by the laws of science. Science can only observe the faithfulness of God’s active providence. However accurate these observations may be, they are not laws that govern our world. The spring equinox and the corresponding fall equinox happen because of the covenant commitment of God made to Noah:
“As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.”
Every rainbow is a sign of God’s faithfulness to keep this promise.
So, what does this mean for you and your children?
This means that life is not random. Each season happens at God’s command as an expression of his faithfulness to his word.
This also means that seasons are not the result of an impersonal divine force. Each time the earth’s equator points directly at the sun it is because that is the active will of God. Unlike Thomas Jefferson’s deist god, our God did not wind up the universe and walk away leaving it to operate on its own, the way a watch functions. Our God is actively involved in all that happens. There are no random acts in his universe!
For us in the Northern Hemisphere a long, cold winter is drawing to a close. Tell your children that it is the hand of God that turns our planet towards the warm sunlight of summer. For those of you in the Southern Hemisphere the warmth of summer will begin to fade into the coolness of fall. Each day the earth remains is a day that you have to bring honor to God. The seasons do not progress of their own accord. The earth will continue only as long as there are people that God has yet to save (2 Peter 3).
The blossoms and flowers of spring remind us of the faithfulness of God. Love your children and help them see God in the glory of the seasons. We serve a great king, a magnificent Savior!
The world turns as it is held in the hand of Jesus Christ, the maker of the universe.