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Springtime is Coming!
Andrea Lende • March 20, 2021
Deuteronomy 4:20
Springtime is Coming
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Springtime-is-Coming-et40pg
Deuteronomy 4:20
“But the Lord has taken you and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be to Him a people of His own possession, as you are this day.”
I believe the Lord is bringing us out of the difficult times we have faced over this last year.
I read the Bible in a very specific way, and the Lord puts one verse on my heart to write about each day.
After reading four chapters and asking the Lord if this was really the verse for today, the answer I received was, yes.
“Yes, I am bringing My people out of the fire.”
“Out of the iron furnace”.
As so many people have breathed a sigh of relief over these last few weeks, the Lord is intending to lead us to a sweeter time.
Springtime – a time of rebirth – is upon us.
Springtime – when we can see the promise of all things new – is upon us.
Let us rejoice in the Lord’s goodness!
Let us rejoice in His promises!
As the sun warms our land, the Lord breathes His love and mercy over us.
A long-awaited reprieve.
We can commune with the beauty that nature provides.
Praising the Lord for beauty in His sunrises, sunsets, melting snow, and the soon to be budding trees and flowers.
Praising the Lord for the ability to move about and go places we haven’t gone in a long time.
Praising the Lord for more connecting and community that has so long been absent from our lives.
Little by little we are coming out of the arctic freeze we have been living under this past year.
And I am grateful.
Grateful for God’s love.
Grateful for His constant care.
Grateful to be coming “out of the iron furnace”.
And grateful to be His.
Today I choose to be thankful for all things new the Lord is doing in me and in the world.
May you find that Lord is providing all things new in your life and the lives of your loved ones.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for Your promise of all things new as springtime is upon us. Thank You for Your promise to bring us out of the iron furnace where we have been tried and tested this last year. Thank You for the lifting of our heads, Father. Thank You for calling us closer to You and leading us through the difficulties we have faced. Thank You for never leaving us alone. Thank You for Your constant watch over us. Keep our eyes on You, Lord. Keep us seeking You as we walk this earth. May Your peace be upon our nation and this world. May Your voice lead and guide us in all that we do. Help us follow You and be obedient to Your call as we are called to be Yours. Don’t let us miss You, Father. May Your Holy Spirit rest in our spirits and gently whisper to our hearts. Help us love and care for those You ask us to love and care for. Help us bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing our prayer.
Answer: I AM with My people and speak to their hearts as I prepare them for My service.
Response: Strengthen us and help us follow You in every way, Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.